Association of egg intake with a range of lipid profiles: cross-sectional insights from the isfahan cohort study

Previous studies have shown conflicting results regarding the association between egg intake and lipid profiles. This study explored the relationship between egg intake and conventional and emerging lipid indices in a large Iranian cohort. In this cross-sectional analysis from the Isfahan Cohort Study on 4,131 adults aged ≥ 35 years, egg consumption was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and categorized into tertiles (< 2, 2, and ≥ 3 times per week). Lipid profile included total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and atherogenic parameters including Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP), Atherogenic Coefficient (AC), Castelli Risk Indices (CRI-I/CRI-II), Atherogenic Combined Index (ACI), Non-HDL-C (NHC), Lipoprotein Combined Index (LCI), Remnant Lipoprotein Cholesterol (RLPC), and TG/HDL-C ratio. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used. Crude analyses generally showed inverse associations between egg-consumption frequency and several lipid measures, but linear associations were attenuated after multivariable adjustment. Although nominal inverse associations were observed for hypercholesterolemia, CRI-II, and LCI in the fully adjusted logistic regression models, these associations did not remain statistically significant after Holm-Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Higher egg-consumption frequency was not associated with an adverse lipid profile in this population. The overall pattern may be compatible with neutral or modestly favorable associations, but the cross-sectional design, residual confounding, and multiple testing preclude causal or outcome-specific conclusions.