Does egg feeding (i.e., dietary cholesterol) affect plasma cholesterol levels in humans? The results of a double-blind study.

In order to study the effects of dietary cholesterol in outpatients eating their usual home diets, we fed whole eggs and an egg substitute in a double-blind design to 16 normal volunteers. One-half cup of whole eggs (approximately 500 mg cholesterol) and a cholesterol-free egg substitute product were incorporated into the subjects' customary home diets for 4 wk each in a random order. Dietary cholesterol intake changed from a mean +/- SD of 196 +/- 112 mg/day during the egg substitute period to 728 +/- 119 during the whole egg period (p less than 0.001). The mean plasma cholesterol concentration during the whole egg period (243 +/- 39) was increased (p less than 0.01) 9% above the baseline level (223 +/- 40) and was increased (p less than 0.01) 11% above the egg substitute period (219 +/- 44). The mean plasma cholesterol concentration during the egg substitute period was not different from base-line. The feeding of whole egg in a double-blind study in outpatients eating their customary diets had a hypercholesterolemic effect compared to a cholesterol-free product.