Investigating Age-dependent Effects of Egg Intake on HDL and Immune Profiles

NCT ID: NCT06086795

Last Updated: 2025-08-05

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 46 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-01-23
• Study Completion Date: 2026-06-30

Brief Summary

The goal of this intervention study is to determine whether consumption of different fractions of chicken eggs, including egg whites, egg yolks, and whole eggs, confer different changes in markers of HDL function and T cell profiles in younger vs. older men and women. The study will address the following objectives:

• Objective 1: Determine if daily consumption of egg fractions differentially alter HDL profiles across age groups.
• Objective 2: Determine if daily consumption of egg fractions differentially alter immune cell profiles across age groups.

Participants will be asked to consume egg whites, egg yolks, and whole eggs on a daily basis for 4-weeks each, and avoid eating eggs for a total of 8 weeks at different points in the study. Participants will additionally be provided guidance on following a generally healthy diet, and will be asked to complete surveys about dietary intake and physical activity, as well as provide blood samples throughout the course of the study.

Researchers will compare whether daily consumption of egg whites, egg yolks, and whole eggs differentially alter markers of HDL function and T cell profiles in younger vs. older adults.

Conditions

Lipoproteins; Inflammatory Response

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Egg whites

3 large egg equivalent of liquid egg whites per day for 4 weeks

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Egg whites

Intervention Type: OTHER

3 large egg equivalent of egg whites per day for 4 weeks

Egg yolks

3 large egg equivalent of liquid egg yolks per day for 4 weeks

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Egg yolks

Intervention Type: OTHER

3 large egg equivalent of egg yolks per day for 4 weeks

Whole eggs

3 large whole eggs per day for 4 weeks

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Whole eggs

Intervention Type: OTHER

3 large whole eggs per day for 4 weeks

Interventions

Whole eggs

3 large whole eggs per day for 4 weeks

Intervention Type: OTHER

Egg yolks

3 large egg equivalent of egg yolks per day for 4 weeks

Intervention Type: OTHER

Egg whites

3 large egg equivalent of egg whites per day for 4 weeks

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• 18-30 years old, or 50-75 years old (at time of screening)
• Body mass index (BMI) < 30 kg/m2
• Willing to consume whole eggs, egg whites, or egg yolks on a daily basis during study periods, and refrain from eating eggs during other study periods

Exclusion Criteria

• < 18 years old; 31-49 years old; > 75 years old
• BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 or body weight < 110 pounds
• Weight changes > 10% over the last 4 weeks
• Self-reported history of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, renal or liver disease, cancer, eating disorders, certain severe and/or relapsing/remitting autoimmune, inflammatory, or metabolic diseases, chronic infections, scleroderma, blood clotting disorders, intravenous drug use, or current pregnancy or lactation
• Allergy or intolerance to eggs, egg components, or egg products
• Implanted medical device (e.g., pacemaker) or other health condition that would prevent measurement of body composition by bioelectrical impedance
• Highly elevated fasting lipid and glucose levels (triglyceride levels higher than 500 mg/dL, fasting glucose higher than 126 mg/dL), or total cholesterol < 120 mg/dL and HDL-cholesterol < 15 mg/dL
• Currently taking lipid-lowering medications (e.g. statins, fibrates), anti-inflammatory medications (e.g., NSAIDs, corticosteroids), or medications that primarily affect blood clotting (e.g., warfarin)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 75 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

American Egg Board

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Connecticut

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Catherine Andersen

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Catherine J Andersen, PhD, RDN

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Connecticut

Locations

University of Connecticut

Storrs, Connecticut, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

AG221113

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

H22-0174

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id