Daily Inclusion of Eggs in a Heart-Healthful Dietary Pattern in Hyperlipidemic Adults

Eligibility Criteria

• 1. Men \>18 years of age
• 2. Post-menopausal women not currently on hormone replacement therapy
• 3. Non-smokers
• 4. Overweight/obese (i.e., 25kg/m² ≤ BMI ≤ 40kg/m² and weight \<350pounds)
• 5. Total cholesterol of 240-300 mg/dl and /or LDL cholesterol of 130-190 mg/dl, and/or a total cholesterol to HDL ratio of \>5.7
• 1. Failure to meet inclusion criteria
• 2. Anticipated inability to complete study protocol for any reason
• 3. Allergy to eggs
• 4. Current eating disorder
• 5. Restricted diets by choice that do not permit ingestion of eggs (e.g., vegan)
• 6. Unstable use of lipid-lowering or antihypertensive medications (i.e., change in dose during the three months prior to enrollment) and/or unwilling to refrain from taking medication for 12 hours prior to endothelial function scanning
• 7. Use of insulin, glucose-sensitizing medication, or vasoactive medication (including glucocorticoids, antineoplastic agents, some psychoactive agents, or bronchodilators)
• 8. Unstable use of antidepressant medications (i.e., change in dose during the three months prior to enrollment)
• 9. Regular use of high doses of vitamin E (\>400IU/day) or vitamin C (\>500mg/day); fish oil, flaxseed oil, omega-3 fatty acid and/or fiber supplements, unless willing to discontinue supplementation for the study duration
• 10. Diagnosed diabetes
• 11. Diagnosed sleep apnea; unless treated and have been stable with their medications for at least 3 months
• 12. Established cardiovascular disease (including symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, congestive heart failure, carotid stenosis)
• 13. Coagulopathy, known bleeding diathesis, or history of clinically significant hemorrhage; current use of warfarin or other regular use of anticoagulation
• 14. Substance abuse (chronic alcoholism, other chemical dependency)
• 15. Any unstable medical condition that would limit the ability of a subject to participate fully in the trial (e.g., cancer, AIDS, tuberculosis, psychotic disorder)
• 16. Conditions requiring regular use of NSAID medications such as Advil, naproxen, ibuprofen (examples of condition include lupus and rheumatoid arthritis)
• 17. For women: Use of hormone replacement therapy