Effect of chicken egg consumption on antioxidant status and lipid profile levels in students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi, Nigeria

Introduction: Chicken egg contains a number of biological substances which may play pivotal roles in human nutrition and health. Aim: This is a case control study designed to assess the effect of chicken egg consumption on antioxidant status and lipid profile levels in students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A total of thirty (30) participants comprising of fifteen (15) male and female students aged between eighteen (18) and twenty six (26) years were randomly recruited for the study. Five milliliters (5mls) of baseline samples (after an overnight fast) were collected from participants at day 0 as baseline samples and levels of antioxidants (TAC and MDA) and lipid profile were evaluated. Subsequently, in addition to their normal diet, each of the participants received one (1) egg before meal daily for a period of 30 days. After an overnight fast, 5mls of post research (post test) samples was collected on day 31 and the levels of antioxidants and lipid profile (TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C) were re-evaluated using standard laboratory methods. Also, the body mass index (BMI) of the participants was determined. Results: the results showed that the consumption of one (1) chicken egg per day for a period of 30 days caused a significant increase (p<0>0.05) respectively after (day 31) egg consumption compared to baseline (day 0) values. Also, gender comparisons revealed no significant alterations in the mean TAC, MDA, TC, LDL-C and HDL-C levels (p>0.05) respectively while the mean serum TG level was significantly higher in female participants than in the males after egg consumption (p<0> Conclusion: this study revealed that the consumption of one chicken egg per day for a period of thirty days has beneficial effects on the antioxidant status and lipid profile levels in healthy individuals.