Whole egg consumption effects on vitamin D and carotenoids bioavailability in pre- and post-menopausal females: a randomized crossover controlled feeding trial.

Background & aims: Whole egg (WE) is a good source of vitamin D and carotenoids but their effects on concurrent bioavailability from a co-consumed meal and differences by menopausal status, remain unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of co-consuming WE with vitamin D and carotenoids-rich foods on their absorption in pre- and post-menopausal females. Methods: Nine pre-menopausal and 8 post-menopausal females completed 8 day trials (7 day controlled diet plus test day) separated by a 3-week washout. Participants consumed a cooked vegetable meal (primary source of vitamin D and carotenoids) with no egg (control) or 100 g of cooked WE (CWE). The meal provided 27 mg of carotenoids and 600 IU of vitamin D (mainly vitamin D2 from fortified mushrooms) and eggs provided ∼0.5 mg of carotenoids and 80 IU of vitamin D3. Blood was collected hourly for 10 hours and triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein fractions (TRL) were isolated. Vitamin D metabolites and carotenoids in TRL were analyzed and the composite areas under the curve (AUC) were calculated. Results: Carotenoids AUC0-10 h in TRL was significantly higher for the CWE than control in both pre-menopausal (104.2 ± 12.4 vs. 29.2 ± 12.4 ng mL-1 × 10 h; p < 0.001) and post-menopausal females (62.7 ± 12.4 vs. 10.1 ± 12.4 ng mL-1 × 10 h; p = 0.003). 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 AUC0-10 h in TRL was also higher with CWE than for the control in the pre-menopausal (1.34 ± 0.55 vs. 0.53 ± 0.55 ng mL-1 × 10 h; p = 0.182) and significantly higher in the post-menopausal (2.70 ± 0.59 vs. 1.03 ± 0.59 ng mL-1 × 10 h; p = 0.015) females. Vitamin D2/D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 were undetectable. Menopausal status did not affect these postprandial responses. Conclusion: Co-consuming WE with a cooked vegetable meal effectively increased the absorption of carotenoids across life stages but not for vitamin D2 from a cooked vegetable meal. Trial registration: NCT02679794.