Nutrition, Healthy Clinical Trial
Official title:
Empowering and Transforming the US Broiler Production for Growth, Profit and Sustainability
The purpose of the research is to evaluate if chicken that is fed a diet that contains omega-3 fatty acids (DHA/EPA), vitamin D (as 25(OH)D) or both nutrients provides additional health benefits by improving the status of omega-3 fatty acids and 25(OH)D in healthy adults who eat this bioenhanced chicken.
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines advocate intake of lean proteins (such as chicken and fish) while limiting intake of saturated fat. Chicken contains similar protein to beef or pork but has less saturated fat. However, chicken, like other terrestrial meats, has little omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and relatively little vitamin D. Vitamin D insufficiency is common in the US and globally, and has been linked to a number of adverse health outcomes. Vitamin D is ingested primarily from fortified dairy products, but recent animal studies have increased the D content of pork and beef, and the DHA content of chicken. Moreover, sunlight exposure alone can enhance the 25(OH)D content of chicken. Notably, supplemental 25(OH)D is more effective than vitamin D at improving vitamin D status in humans, but little is known about the bioavailability of 25(OH)D or DHA/EPA enhanced chicken (muscle). ;