Egg Intake for Lipoprotein Profile

Overseen By Catherine J Andersen, PhD, RDN

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Connecticut

Must not be taking: Statins, NSAIDs, Warfarin, others

Disqualifiers: Diabetes, Heart disease, Cancer, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to determine how consuming different parts of an egg (egg whites, yolks, or whole eggs) affects health markers such as good cholesterol (HDL) and immune cells in younger and older adults. Participants will consume specific egg portions daily for four weeks each and avoid eggs at other times, while maintaining a healthy diet overall. Individuals aged 18-30 or 50-75, with a BMI under 30, and willing to follow the egg-eating schedule may be suitable candidates. As an unphased trial, this study provides a unique opportunity to contribute to nutritional science and understand the impact of dietary choices on health.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

Yes, if you are currently taking lipid-lowering medications, anti-inflammatory medications, or medications that affect blood clotting, you will need to stop taking them to participate in this trial.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research shows that eating egg whites, yolks, or whole eggs is generally safe for most people. Egg whites, low in calories and cholesterol, suit those concerned about cholesterol. They consist mostly of protein and contain fewer nutrients than whole eggs but are usually well-tolerated.

Egg yolks contain more cholesterol, about 275 mg per yolk, but studies indicate they don't significantly raise cholesterol levels for most people. Most healthy adults can safely eat them in moderation.

Whole eggs are also safe for many people, even when eaten regularly. Research suggests that consuming up to five eggs a week does not harm cholesterol levels for most people who maintain a balanced diet. For those who exercise regularly and eat healthily, whole eggs are unlikely to affect cholesterol levels.

In summary, eggs—whether whites, yolks, or whole—are safe to eat as part of a balanced diet for most people. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about these treatments because they explore how different components of eggs—egg whites, yolks, and whole eggs—affect lipoprotein profiles, which are important markers for heart health. Unlike standard treatments that often involve medications to manage cholesterol levels, these dietary interventions use natural, everyday food items. The unique approach here is examining how specific parts of the egg might influence cholesterol and lipid levels differently. This could lead to simple dietary recommendations as an alternative or complement to traditional cholesterol-lowering drugs.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for altering HDL and immune cell profiles?

This trial will compare the effects of consuming different parts of eggs on cholesterol levels. Participants will join one of three groups: one will consume egg whites, another egg yolks, and the third whole eggs. Research has shown that eating different parts of eggs can affect cholesterol levels in the body. Studies suggest that egg whites might help reduce body fat but could increase LDL (bad cholesterol) if eaten regularly. Egg yolks contain cholesterol, which might influence blood fat levels, but some research indicates they may not significantly raise cholesterol when fasting. Whole eggs have been found to improve the balance of cholesterol-carrying molecules and help with insulin sensitivity better than egg substitutes. Overall, eating eggs can change cholesterol and fat levels in the blood, but the effects depend on which part of the egg is consumed. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Catherine J Andersen, PhD, RDN

Principal Investigator

University of Connecticut

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for men and women aged 18-30 or 60-70 with a BMI under 30. Participants must be willing to eat different parts of eggs daily during certain study periods while avoiding them completely at other times. Exclusions include those with various chronic diseases, allergies to eggs, extreme weight changes recently, or on specific medications.

Inclusion Criteria

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

Body mass index (BMI) < 30 kg/m2

Do not fit any exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria

I have a history of diabetes, heart disease, or other listed conditions.

I am currently on medication for cholesterol, inflammation, or blood clotting.

You have a medical device implanted in your body, like a pacemaker, or a health condition that would make it impossible to measure your body composition using a special method called bioelectrical impedance.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment - Egg Whites

Participants consume 3 large egg equivalent of liquid egg whites per day

4 weeks

Regular blood sample collection

Treatment - Whole Eggs

Participants consume 3 large whole eggs per day

4 weeks

Regular blood sample collection

Treatment - Egg Yolks

Participants consume 3 large egg equivalent of liquid egg yolks per day

4 weeks

Regular blood sample collection

Egg-Free Period

Participants avoid eating eggs

8 weeks

Regular blood sample collection

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in HDL function and T cell profiles

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Egg whites
• Egg yolks
• Whole eggs

Trial Overview The study tests how eating egg whites, yolks, and whole eggs affects HDL (good cholesterol) levels and immune cells in younger versus older adults. Over several weeks, participants will alter their egg intake and follow a healthy diet while researchers monitor changes in their blood markers.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Whole eggs Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

3 large whole eggs per day for 4 weeks

Group II: Egg yolks Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

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

Group III: Egg whites Active Control 1 Intervention

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

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Connecticut

Lead Sponsor

Trials

194

Recruited

162,000+

American Egg Board

Collaborator

Trials

30

Recruited

62,100+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A diet high in pure cholesterol significantly increased plasma VLDL-cholesterol and liver LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in Wistar rats over 6.5 months, indicating a strong impact on lipid metabolism.

Diets rich in egg yolk or a combination of cholesterol and egg yolk also altered lipid profiles, notably decreasing HDL cholesterol, but these changes were more reversible compared to those caused by pure cholesterol.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Alimentary induced changes in the plasma and the liver lipoproteins. Orbetzova, V., Dakovska, L., Elazarova, F., et al.[2003]

The study demonstrated that heLDL can effectively deliver the antibiotic rifapentine (RPT) to human macrophages, achieving a loading efficiency of 66.10 μg RPT/mg heLDL.

RPT-heLDL significantly reduced intracellular Staphylococcus aureus by 94%, outperforming free RPT, which only achieved an 87% reduction, suggesting that heLDL is a promising carrier for targeted drug delivery in treating infections.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using rifapentine - hen egg lipoprotein conjugate as macrophage-targeted drug delivery carrier against intracellular Staphylococcus aureus. Yang, J., Li, Y., Liu, E., et al.[2015]

In a study involving 17 lactovegetarian college students, consuming one extra-large egg daily for three weeks significantly increased dietary cholesterol and resulted in a 12% rise in plasma LDL cholesterol levels.

The increase in LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B suggests that egg consumption can selectively raise these markers in healthy individuals, indicating that plasma LDL may be more responsive to dietary cholesterol at lower intake levels.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ingestion of egg raises plasma low density lipoproteins in free-living subjects. Sacks, FM., Salazar, J., Miller, L., et al.[2019]

In a study with seven healthy volunteers, consuming six eggs per day increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by 40%, primarily due to a 23% rise in the synthesis rate of LDL particles.

The study found that while the production of LDL increased, the body's ability to clear these particles decreased by 10%, suggesting a reduction in receptor activity for LDL clearance, which may lead to higher cholesterol levels in the bloodstream.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cholesterol feeding increases low density lipoprotein synthesis. Packard, CJ., McKinney, L., Carr, K., et al.[2019]

In a study involving 19 healthy volunteers, consuming omega-3 enriched eggs led to beneficial changes in blood markers, including higher levels of apolipoprotein A1 and lower plasma glucose, which are linked to reduced cardiovascular risk and diabetes.

Standard eggs did not negatively affect blood lipids or inflammation markers, suggesting that adding one egg per day to a normal diet is safe for healthy individuals.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Biochemical effects of consumption of eggs containing omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Ohman, M., Akerfeldt, T., Nilsson, I., et al.[2019]

In a study involving six healthy volunteers, consuming six egg yolks daily for 10 days increased total cholesterol levels by 13%, primarily due to a 21% rise in LDL cholesterol, while also decreasing VLDL and IDL cholesterol levels.

The consumption of egg yolks led to significant increases in certain HDL subfractions, suggesting a beneficial shift in cholesterol composition, as indicated by a 16% increase in the HDL2/LDL cholesterol ratio.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effect of egg yolk feeding on the concentration and composition of serum lipoproteins in man. Beynen, AC., Katan, MB.[2019]

In a study involving four volunteers who consumed 5000 mg of egg yolk cholesterol daily for 30 days, significant increases in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and apolipoprotein B levels were observed, indicating a strong response to high dietary cholesterol.

While LDL levels and composition changed markedly, other lipoprotein fractions like high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) showed only minor changes, suggesting that high dietary cholesterol primarily affects LDL rather than causing widespread alterations in other lipoproteins.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Short-term egg yolk feeding in humans. Increase in apolipoprotein B and low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Applebaum-Bowden, D., Hazzard, WR., Cain, J., et al.[2019]

Hens fed a diet containing 2.5% crude cottonseed oil showed significant changes in the composition of their lipoproteins, with an increase in stearic acid leading to higher density lipoproteins (LDL) and a decrease in very low density lipoproteins (VLDL).

The study found that lipovitellin, a key protein in egg yolk, was not present in hen blood plasma in significant amounts, indicating that the lipoprotein profiles in blood and egg yolk differ, especially when influenced by dietary fats.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The influence of crude cottonseed oil in the feed on the blood and egg yolk lipoproteins of laying hens. Evans, RJ., Flegal, CJ., Foerder, CA., et al.[2020]

The study analyzed lipid fractions from fertilized and unfertilized hen egg yolks, finding that total cholesterol levels were similar in both types of yolks, but total phospholipid levels were significantly lower in fertilized yolks.

In fertilized egg yolks, cholesterol was present in the infranatant fraction, which was absent in unfertilized yolks, indicating a difference in lipid composition that could impact nutritional value.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cholesterol and phospholipids content of yolk from fertilized and unfertilized hen eggs. Guedes, LS., da-Silva, KM., Soares, MG.[2016]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7400894/

Association between Egg Consumption and Cholesterol ... The results indicated that egg consumption significantly increases the LDL-c/HDL-c ratio and LDL-c levels, especially with a longer intervention duration. Yet, ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9368041/

Health Functions of Egg Protein - PMC The results showed that the lactic-fermented egg white group significantly reduced the visceral fat area and visceral fat/subcutaneous fat ...

3. journals.plos.org journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003508

Egg and cholesterol consumption and mortality from ... In this study, intakes of eggs and cholesterol were associated with higher all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality.

4. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523066017

Dietary cholesterol from eggs increases the ratio of total ... Dietary cholesterol raises the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol and, therefore, adversely affects the cholesterol profile.

5. onlinelibrary.wiley.com onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2018/6303810

The Impact of Egg Nutrient Composition and Its ... Studies have shown that although consuming eggs often results in the increases of both serum LDL and HDL levels, the LDL/HDL ratio is unchanged.

6. healthline.com healthline.com/nutrition/egg-whites-nutrition

Egg Whites Nutrition: High in Protein, Low in Everything Else Egg whites are low in calories, carbs, fat, and cholesterol, but high in protein. They provide fewer nutrients compared with whole eggs.

7. ahajournals.org ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.057642

Systematic Review and Updated Meta-Analysis | Circulation In the updated meta-analysis, we found a significant positive association for egg consumption and cardiovascular disease risk in US cohorts, a ...

8. nature.com nature.com/articles/s41598-025-19028-0

Dietary cholesterol intake and egg consumption in relation ... Among stoke survivors, greater dietary cholesterol connects to an escalated risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in a linear manner.

9. livescience.com livescience.com/50879-egg-white-nutrition-facts.html

Egg Whites: Health benefits & nutrition facts Also called the albumen, egg white serves as a shock-absorber and anchor for the egg yolk and provides nutrients to the developing embryo (in ...