Dietary Whole Egg Reduces Body Weight Gain in a Dose-Dependent Manner in Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats.

Background: We previously reported that a whole-egg-based diet attenuated weight gain in rats with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and more effectively maintained vitamin D status than an equivalent amount of supplemental cholecalciferol.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the lowest dose of whole egg effective at maintaining vitamin D homeostasis and attenuating the obese phenotype in T2D rats.

Methods: Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats (n = 40; age 6 wk; prediabetic) and their lean controls (n = 40; age 6 wk) were randomly assigned to a diet containing 20% casein (CAS) or 20%, 10%, 5%, or 2.