Investigation of Egg Intake and the Relationship Between Gut Microbiome, Metabolic, and Immune Profiles

Inclusion Criteria

• 18-50 years old (at time of screening)
• Premenopausal status for women
• Body mass index (BMI) 18.5 to \< 25 kg/m2; or ³ 30 kg/m2 and >30% and >40% body fat for men and women, respectively
• Willing to consume whole eggs and egg whites provided during the study on a daily basis, and refrain from other eggs or egg-based foods and beverages during the study
• Do not fit any exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria

• \<18 years old and ≥ 51 years old
• BMI \<18.5, 25-29.9, or body weight \< 110 pounds
• Experienced >10% weight change in the past 4 weeks
• Elevated fasting glucose levels (fasting glucose higher than 126 mg/dL) and triglycerides greater than 500 mg/dL, or total cholesterol \< 120 mg/dL and HDL- cholesterol \< 15 mg/dL
• Self-reported and/or physician-diagnosed history of severe constipation, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, stroke, renal or liver disease, cancer, eating disorders, certain severe and/or relapsing/remitting autoimmune, inflammatory, intestinal or metabolic diseases, chronic infections, scleroderma, blood clotting disorders, intravenous drug use, or current pregnancy or lactation, postmenopausal
• Allergy to eggs
• Implanted medical device (e.g., pacemaker) or other health condition that would prevent measurement of body composition by bioelectrical impedence
• Currently taking lipid-lowering medications (e.g., statins, fibrates), glucose-regulating medications, anti-inflammatory medications (e.g., NSAIDs, corticosteroids), or medications that primarily affect blood clotting (e.g., warfarin), long-term antibiotics or probiotics in the last 3 months or during the intervention
• Active smoker