ALPHA-LINOLENIC-ACID-ENRICHED AND DOCOSAHEXAENOIC-ACID-ENRICHED EGGS FROM HENS FED FLAXSEED - INFLUENCE ON BLOOD-LIPIDS AND PLATELET PHOSPHOLIPID FATTY-ACIDS IN HUMANS

This study was undertaken to examine the effects that consumption of e ggs from hens fed diets containing flaxseed would have on plasma and p latelet lipids of male volunteers. Feeding diets containing 0%, 10%, a nd 20% ground flaxseed to Leghorn pullets provided a marked progressiv e increase in n-3 fatty acid content as alpha-linolenic acid (alpha-LN A) (28, 261, and 527 mg/egg) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (51, 81, a nd 87 mg/egg) but no alteration in the cholesterol concentration of th e egg yolk. Twenty-eight male volunteers, divided into three groups, w ere fed four eggs per day for 2 wk according to a cyclic Latin square design. No statistically significant changes were observed in total ch olesterol, high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, or plasma triglycerid e concentrations. Significant increases in total n-3 fatty acids and i n DHA content (which rose from 1.5 to 2.0% by wt or 33% overall), and a significant decrease in ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids were found i n platelet phospholipids of subjects consuming eggs from flaxseed-fed hens. Health and Welfare Canada in 1990 set recommended intakes for di etary n-3 fatty acids and for the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids, whi ch are not being met currently by the overall population. Eggs modifie d by the inclusion of flaxseed in the laying hens' diet could provide an important nutritional source of n-3 fatty acid.