4. Discussion
CV disease, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, CVD
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, HEART DISEASE, CVD, INCREASED TRIGLYCERIDES, ATHEROGENIC DYSLIPIDEMIA
The main findings in this study were that, compared to egg whites, two eggs per day, alone or in combination with Annatto, resulted in similar concentrations of plasma LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein B, important biomarkers for cardiovascular disease risk [In this study, a higher percentage of women was recruited (Additionally, most volunteers (67%) were adults, with an average age of 28 years and with a medium income level (stratum 3). This specific population is important to evaluate, because, for countries such as Colombia, it represents the working class [To contribute to the debate and present evidence against the causality between egg consumption and increased CV risk, it is necessary to go beyond classical biomarkers. Given that classic lipid biomarker profiles do not constitute a complete vision of the metabolic process, many authors base the risk assessment on atherogenic indices [Some individuals with traditional lipid profile values at levels considered at no risk may have an atherogenic lipoprotein profile [Atherogenic dyslipidemia is characterized by an increase in small and dense LDL particles, reduced levels of HDL-C, and increased triglycerides in plasma. Atherogenic dyslipidemia is more highly associated with CV disease (CVD) incidence than the presence of elevated LDL-C alone, indicating that it is a better predictor of CVD [Contrary to other intervention studies [This study was exploratory for the lipid variables measured; thus, it is necessary to complement the evaluation with more specific variables, such as the increased carotenoids in participants’ blood and the antioxidant capacity, which might show more noticeable changes. However, this first study of long-term Annatto effects in a Colombian population motivates new research on the bioavailability and bioactivity of a product with great potential for Latin America.The results observed in this study, in healthy middle-aged adults, after consuming two eggs per day for 8 weeks compared to egg whites, show no causal association, with no increase in CV risk as measured by a comprehensive panel of biomarkers, including both classical and more advance or sensitive ones. Several clinical studies have reported similar results to this study, demonstrating no association between egg consumption and increased risk for heart disease [