No abstract

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death around the world. Overall diet quality and dietary behaviors are core contributors to metabolic health. While therapeutic targets have traditionally focused on levels of lipoprotein cholesterol when evaluating cardiovascular risk, current perspectives on high-density lipoprotein (HDL) have shifted to evaluating the functionality of this lipoprotein particle. Effects of diet on cardiovascular health are mediated through multiple pathways, but the impact on HDL composition and function deserves greater attention. Potential areas of investigation involve changes in particle characteristics, distribution, microRNA cargo, and other functional changes such as improvements to cholesterol efflux capacity. Various dietary patterns like the Mediterranean diet and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health and may prevent cardiovascular events. These healthful dietary patterns tend to be rich in plant-based foods, with cardiovascular benefits likely resulting from synergistic effects of the individual dietary components. The purpose of this review is to summarize current perspectives on selected functions of HDL particles and how various dietary patterns affect cardiovascular health biomarkers, with a focus on HDL functionality.

As a crucial part of the symbiotic system, the gut microbiome has been shown to be a metabolic organ that presents important connections to many diseases and conditions, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the world wide leading cause of death. Trimethylamine N‐oxide (TMAO) is a plasma metabolite that is positively correlated with CVD. Trimethylamine (TMA) is produced by gut bacteria from dietary choline, betaine, or L‐carnitine, and is then converted in the liver to TMAO, which in turn affects hepatic and intestinal lipid and cholesterol metabolism. Because eggs are rich in choline, it has been speculated that their consumption may increase plasma TMAO. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of two eggs per day on plasma TMAO level and how it is related with gut microbiome composition in mildly hypercholesterolemic postmenopausal women. In this randomized, cross‐over study, 20 overweight human subjects were given two whole eggs and the equivalent amount of yolk‐free substitute as breakfast for four weeks, in randomized order, with a four‐week washout in between. Fasting blood draws and stool were collected at the beginning and of each treatment period. Plasma TMAO, choline, betaine and other metabolites were analyzed using LC/MS, while gut microbiome composition was analyzed using 16S amplicon sequencing. Plasma choline and betaine were significantly increased after whole egg but not yolk‐free substitute, however TMAO level was not significantly affected by treatments. Gut microbiome composition showed large inter‐individual variability at baseline and in response to the treatments. Parabacteroides, Ruminococcus, and Faecalibacterium were slightly increased after whole egg but not yolk‐free substitute for the majority of the subjects, while Bilophila slightly increased after yolk‐free substitute but not whole egg. The consumption of two eggs per day in overweight, postmenopausal mildly hypercholesterolemic women significantly increased plasma choline and betaine, but not TMAO, with a subtle effect on gut microbiome composition. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Background Postmenopausal women are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) than their younger counterparts. HDL cholesterol is a biomarker for CVD risk, but the function of HDL may be more important than HDL cholesterol in deciphering disease risk. Although diet continues to be a cornerstone of treatment and prevention of CVD, little is known about how diet affects the functionality of HDL. Objectives The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of whole eggs compared with yolk-free eggs on HDL function and composition in overweight, postmenopausal women and determine how changes in HDL composition are related to HDL functional parameters. Methods The study was a 14-wk, single-blind, randomized crossover dietary trial with two 4-wk intervention periods in 20 overweight, postmenopausal women. The crossover treatments were frozen breakfast meals containing 100 g of liquid (∼2) whole eggs compared with 100 g of (∼2) yolk-free eggs per day, separated by a 4-wk washout. Fasting blood samples were taken at the beginning and end of each treatment period to determine the effects on HDL composition and function. Results Cholesterol efflux capacity increased in the whole-egg treatment (mean ± SD percentage change: +5.69% ± 9.9%) compared with the yolk-free egg treatment (−3.69% ± 5.3%) (P < 0.01), but there were no other significant changes in HDL functions or antioxidant or inflammatory markers. ApoA-I, total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol also did not change in response to the egg treatment. Conclusions The consumption of 2 whole eggs/d by overweight, postmenopausal women showed a significant increase in cholesterol efflux capacity. This increase in cholesterol efflux capacity was seen without significant changes in apoA-I, TC, LDL cholesterol, or HDL cholesterol, supporting the idea that HDL function rather than HDL cholesterol should be addressed in this population. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02445638.

As a crucial part of the symbiotic system, the gut microbiome has been shown to be a metabolic organ that presents important connections to many diseases and conditions, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the world wide leading cause of death. Trimethylamine N‐oxide (TMAO) is a plasma metabolite that is positively correlated with CVD. Trimethylamine (TMA) is produced by gut bacteria from dietary choline, betaine, or L‐carnitine, and is then converted in the liver to TMAO, which in turn affects hepatic and intestinal lipid and cholesterol metabolism. Because eggs are rich in choline, it has been speculated that their consumption may increase plasma TMAO. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of two eggs per day on plasma TMAO level and how it is related with gut microbiome composition in mildly hypercholesterolemic postmenopausal women. In this randomized, cross‐over study, 20 overweight human subjects were given two whole eggs and the equivalent amount of yolk‐free substitute as breakfast for four weeks, in randomized order, with a four‐week washout in between. Fasting blood draws and stool were collected at the beginning and of each treatment period. Plasma TMAO, choline, betaine and other metabolites were analyzed using LC/MS, while gut microbiome composition was analyzed using 16S amplicon sequencing. Plasma choline and betaine were significantly increased after whole egg but not yolk‐free substitute, however TMAO level was not significantly affected by treatments. Gut microbiome composition showed large inter‐individual variability at baseline and in response to the treatments. Parabacteroides, Ruminococcus, and Faecalibacterium were slightly increased after whole egg but not yolk‐free substitute for the majority of the subjects, while Bilophila slightly increased after yolk‐free substitute but not whole egg. The consumption of two eggs per day in overweight, postmenopausal mildly hypercholesterolemic women significantly increased plasma choline and betaine, but not TMAO, with a subtle effect on gut microbiome composition.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.