Achieving Nutritional Adequacy Of Vitamin E With An Egg/Plant-Based Food Pairing

Malnutrition of the fat-soluble nutrient vitamin E (α-tocopherol; αT) is problematic. Since αT is rich in plant foods (e.g. spinach) that are mostly absent of accessible lipid, dietary patterns that can potentiate αT bioavailability by pairing vegetables with lipid-rich foods have been emphasized. The purpose of this study is to use deuterium-labeled spinach (containing stable isotopes of αT) to validate eggs as a dietary tool to improve αT bioavailability directly from a model plant food, and hence achieve nutrient adequacy. It is expected that compared with deuterium-labeled spinach alone, co-ingestion of eggs will dose- and time-dependently increase plasma bioavailability of spinach-derived deuterium-labeled αT without affecting time to maximal concentrations or half-lives. Further, phospholipid-rich egg yolk lipid will enhance nutrient bioavailability compared with vegetable oil. The outcome will therefore support an egg-based food pairing that can enhance the health benefits of plant-centric dietary patterns.