Abstract

BOLANOS, Jorge; QUESADA, Silvia; NANNE, Clara I.  and  GOMEZ, Georgina. Efecto del consumo de huevo y lecitina en los niveles séricos de colesterol y triglicéridos en ratas. Rev. costarric. cienc. méd [online]. 1998, vol.19, n.1-2, pp.17-27. ISSN 0253-2948.

The effects that egg yolk and lecithin ingestion may cause in serum blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides was studied in a group of thirty young male Rattus rattus of the Sprague - Dawley strain. A feeding model was designed in which the yolks and the lecithin diluted in water were administrated without interruption, for a twenty week period. Every four weeks, blood samples were collected by vein puncture of the tail, and the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides were determined. The rats were separated in to five groups, and concentrated dry food was provided for ad libitum consumption. The amount of yolk for each group of animals was calculated as equivalent to different diets in humans. Group 1 ingested the equivalent of two eggs a day, group 2 two eggs plus a daily capsule of lecithin. Group 3, four eggs a day. Group 4, four eggs a day plus a capsule of lecithin, and group 5, was the control that received only plain tap water. The groups of rats that consumed the equivalent of two and four daily eggs showed a significant increase in blood cholesterol levels compared with the control group (P<0.005 and P< 0.05 ). The levels of triglycerides did not show significant variations among the different groups. The groups of rats that in addition consumed lecithin, did not show significant variations in the cholesterol values but there was a considerable lowering of the triglyceride levels as compared with the control group (P<0.05) and with the group that consumed only eggs (P<0.05).

Keywords : egg yolk; ecithin; serum triglyicerides; serum cholesterol.