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

NCT06086795 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: H22-0174AG221113
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 44
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

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

Keywords

Diet; Lipoproteins; T-Lymphocytes; Eggs; Aging

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in serum concentration of large HDL particles between diet periods

  Measurement of serum large HDL particles (nmol/L) at the egg-free run-in period and the end of each intervention arm.

  4 weeks

Study Arms (3)

Egg whites

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

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

Other: Egg whites

Egg yolks

EXPERIMENTAL

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

Other: Egg yolks

Whole eggs

EXPERIMENTAL

3 large whole eggs per day for 4 weeks

Other: Whole eggs

Interventions

Whole eggs OTHER

3 large whole eggs per day for 4 weeks

Whole eggs

Egg yolks OTHER

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

Egg yolks

Egg whites OTHER

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

Egg whites

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

• \< 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)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Connecticut: lead
• American Egg Board: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Connecticut

Storrs, Connecticut, 06269, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Egg Yolk; Egg White

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Eggs; Food; Diet, Food, and Nutrition; Physiological Phenomena; Food and Beverages

Study Officials

• Catherine J Andersen, PhD, RDN

  University of Connecticut

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 10, 2023
• First Posted: October 17, 2023
• Study Start: January 23, 2024
• Primary Completion: December 29, 2025
• Study Completion: December 29, 2025
• Last Updated: May 5, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)