Benefits of Eggs in Combination With a Plant-based Diet

University of Connecticut

Status

Completed

Conditions

Coronary Artery Disease

Diabetes

Metabolic Syndrome

Treatments

Other: Egg Subsitute with spinach per day

Other: Consume 2 eggs with spinach per day

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT04234334

H19-178

Details and patient eligibility

About

The main objective of the study is to demonstrate that the inclusion of eggs to a plant-based diet will not increase the risk for heart disease but will increase the concentration of lutein and zeaxanthin, two important antioxidants and will also increase choline, an important component of membrane phospholipids.

Full description

Results from studies involving cells, animal models and clinical trials have demonstrated that lutein and zeaxanthin potentially protect against chronic diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, coronary heart disease and stroke. Plasma concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin are closely associated with their antioxidant properties and with their protection against reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Choline is recognized as an essential nutrient for health because of its many functions in growth and development, as well as neurological function and formation of membrane phospholipids, including phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin.

Therefore the objective of this study is to demonstrate that inclusion of eggs in a plant-based diet will potentiate the benefits of this healthy diet by increasing plasma concentrations of lutein, zexanthin and choline presents in egg yolks and theoretically increase the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions of these components. This would be potentially more important in those individuals with metabolic syndrome, which is the target population of this intervention.

Enrollment

24 patients

Sex

All

Ages

35 to 70 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

All genders
35-70 years
Metabolic syndrome (based on 3 out of 5 characteristics: waist circumference. 88 cm for women and > 102 cm for men; plasma triglycerides > 150 mg/dL, blood pressure > 135/85 mm Hg, fasting glucose > 100 mg/dL and HDL < 40 mg/dL for men and < 50 mg/dL for women)
Willing to consume a spinach omelet made with 2 eggs or the equivalent amount of egg substitute daily for 4 weeks each
Willing to follow a plant-based diet for 13 weeks
Not have cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, liver or renal disease
Proficient in English

Exclusion criteria

Self-reported diabetes, cardiovascular disease, history of stroke, liver disease or cancer
Taking glucose lowering medications
Triglycerides > 500 mg/dL
Cholesterol > 240 mg/dL
Blood pressure > 145/100 mm Hg
Allergic to eggs or spinach