Egg White Protein

Mechanism for the Cholesterol-Lowering Action of Egg White Protein in Rats
Ryosuke MATSUOKA, Mamoru KIMURA, Ayano MUTO, Yasunobu MASUDA, Masao SATO and Katsumi IMAIZUMI
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2008 Jun;72(6):1506-12.

 Eggs are a popular source of dietary cholesterol, but their consumption does not necessarily result in an increased serum cholesterol concentration. We investigated the cholesterol-lowering activity of egg white protein (EWP) and its potential mechanism in rats. The consumption of EWP resulted in a decreased concentration of cholesterol in the serum, liver and intestinal mucosa. The excretion of fecal neutral sterols and bile acids was greater by rats fed with EWP than by those fed with casein. The ratio of cholesterol and bile acids in the micellar phase to those in the solid phase was lower in the intestinal contents from rats fed with EWP than from those fed with casein. These results suggest that the cholesterol-lowering activity of EWP can be attributed to lowering the cholesterol absorption by intervening in the micellar formation in the intestines.
PMID: 18540106

  Nitrogen balance in men with adequate and deficient energy intake at three levels of work.
Todd KS, Butterfield GE, Calloway DH.
J Nutr. 1984 Nov;114(11):2107-18

 Two studies were conducted to investigate the effects of mild exercise on nitrogen balance in men given diets supplying adequate or slightly limiting energy. In experiment A the diet supplied 91 mg N/kg body weight (0.57 g protein/kg, the FAO/WHO safe level of intake) as egg white; in experiment B the same source was used to provide the 1980 NRC-RDA for adult males, 128 mg N/kg body weight (0.8 g protein/kg). By adjusting energy intake and activity, periods of energy equilibrium and negative energy balance (-15%) were achieved at three levels of activity (X for exercise): no programmed work (0.85X), 1 hour of treadmill walking (1.0X) and 1 hour each of treadmill and cycle ergometry (1.15X). “True” nitrogen balance (TNbal) was more positive or less negative during periods of energy equilibrium as compared to those of energy deficit. This effect of energy balance on TNbal increased with physical activity. At the lower protein intake the mean difference in TNbal between the period of energy equilibrium and that of energy deficit at 1.0X was 0.19 g N/day (nonsignificant difference) and 0.54 g N/day at 1.15X. When protein intake was increased, the difference in TNbal between periods of equilibrium and deficit was significant at all levels of activity: 0.65 g N/day at 0.85X, 0.93 g N/day at 1.0X and 1.09 g N/day at 1.15X. Physical activity was anabolic when energy balance was maintained. In experiment A the addition of 1 hour of exercise (1.0X to 1.15X) spared 2.5 mg N/kg body weight; reducing activity by 1 hour (1.0X to 0.85X) cost 1.4 mg N/kg body weight. In experiment B, TNbal was more positive with increased activity (by 5.9 mg N/kg body weight) and more negative (by 11.5 mg N/kg body weight) when the men were sedentary. During periods of energy deficit, the anabolic effect of activity was also present, although less markedly. When activity increased from 1 to 2 hours in experiment A, TNbal improved by 2.1 mg N/kg body weight and in experiment B, by 3.5 mg N/kg body weight. Thus, circumstances of negative energy balance with adequate protein intake are better tolerated when the energy deficit is generated by physical activity than when it derives from reduced intake; the picture when protein intake is marginal requires further investigation. PMID: 6491764

  Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis after resistance exercise in young men.
Moore DR, Robinson MJ, Fry JL, Tang JE, Glover EI, Wilkinson SB, Prior T,
Tarnopolsky MA, Phillips SM.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jan;89(1):161-8.

 The anabolic effect of resistance exercise is enhanced by the provision of dietary protein. We aimed to determine the ingested protein dose response of muscle (MPS) and albumin protein synthesis (APS) after resistance exercise. In addition, we measured the phosphorylation of candidate signaling proteins thought to regulate acute changes in MPS. Six healthy young men reported to the laboratory on 5 separate occasions to perform an intense bout of leg-based resistance exercise. After exercise, participants consumed, in a randomized order, drinks containing 0, 5, 10, 20, or 40 g whole egg protein. Protein synthesis and whole-body leucine oxidation were measured over 4 h after exercise by a primed constant infusion of [1-(13)C] leucine. MPS displayed a dose response to dietary protein ingestion and was maximally stimulated at 20 g. The phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase (Thr(389)), ribosomal protein S6 (Ser(240/244)), and the epsilon-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2B (Ser(539)) were unaffected by protein ingestion. APS increased in a dose-dependent manner and also reached a plateau at 20 g ingested protein. Leucine oxidation was significantly increased after 20 and 40 g protein were ingested. Ingestion of 20 g intact protein is sufficient to maximally stimulate MPS and APS after resistance exercise. Phosphorylation of candidate signaling proteins was not enhanced with any dose of protein ingested, which suggested that the stimulation of MPS after resistance exercise may be related to amino acid availability. Finally, dietary protein consumed after exercise in excess of the rate at which it can be incorporated into tissue protein stimulates irreversible oxidation.
PMID: 19056590