Archiva Zootechnica 11:2, 35-41, 2008 35 Lipid profile after alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) enriched eggs diet: a study on healthy volunteers Dana Manda 1  0LKDHOD *LXUFăQHDQX 1 , Liliana Ionescu 1 , Rodica Criste 2 , Tatiana Panaite 2 , Oana Popa 1  6X]DQD 9OăGRLX 1 , Olga Ianas 1 1 National Institute of Endocrinology "C.I.Parhon", Bucharest 2 National Research - Development Institute for Animal Biology and Nutrition, Balotesti ABSTRACT The correction of a subtle nutritional deficiency that may reduce the risk of a future chronic disease is indeed a challenge. One of the most intriguing current and future impacts on public health may come from a greater intake of omega-3 fatty acids such as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). We investigated the effect of an increased amount of dietary a-linolenic acid (ALA) from enriched eggs on the lipid profile and inflammatory markers in healthy volunteers. 62 subjects were voluntary enrolled after they gave their informed consent. They were randomly assigned in either control or omega group. Control group consumed normal eggs while omega group consumed eggs enriched in omega 3 fatty acids. The content of ALA in omega 3 eggs was 5 times greater than that of control eggs. During the study, all subjects maintained their habitual diets except that egg consumption. Each subject had to consume 6 eggs a week during a 6-week period. Blood samples were collected at day 0 (baseline) and at the end of the study. Triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL, LDL cholesterol, ApoA, ApoB, CRP and fibrinogen were measured in serum samples. We compared the measured values of the biochemical parameters at baseline and after egg consumption both in control and omega group. Triglycerides were significantly reduced in omega group (p=0.002) after ALA enriched eggs consumption but not in control group. Fibrinogen level was significantly decreased (p<0.001) by ALA enriched eggs consumption whereas in control group there were no significant changes. No significant changes were found in the other parameters of the lipid profile or CRP. In conclusion, the alpha-linolenic acid dietary supplementation decreases tryglicerides and fibrinogen level. Alpha-linolenic acid enriched eggs can be considered as functional food with beneficial effects on human health. Keywords: alpha-linolenic acid, eggs, diet, human health. INTRODUCTION An increasing number of physiological functions have been attributed to omega-3 fatty acids, including calcium movement inside and outside the cell,