(P14-009-24) Effects of Daily Egg Intake on Serum LPS-Binding Protein and Gut Health Measures

Objectives: Whole eggs promote immune and pathogen responses, and have yielded variable effects on systemic inflammatory markers and gut profiles across studies. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein (LBP) has important dual roles in sequestering and mediating LPS-induced inflammation, but may also serve as an indicator of gut inflammation and dysbiosis. Given that we have observed differential effects of egg intake on ex vivo immune responses to LPS without altering systemic inflammatory markers, we aimed to determine whether egg intake impacts serum LBP, and whether these effects are associated with changes in systemic markers of gut health.

Methods: Young, healthy men and women (age 18-35y, n = 26) participated in a 16-week randomized, 2-arm crossover intervention trial in which they consumed 3 whole eggs/day or 3 egg whites/day for 4 weeks. Participants followed an egg-free diet for a 4-week run-in period and washout between whole and egg white diet periods. Fasted blood samples were collected to measure serum LBP and markers of gut health: zonulin (an indicator of gut barrier integrity) and the short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) acetic acid and propionic acid by metabolomic analysis.

Results: LBP was increased following the whole egg diet compared to the egg white diet, although these differences lost significance after adjusting for variability in baseline values. While some studies suggest that increased LBP may be due to adverse changes to gut profiles, we did not observe differences in zonulin between egg diets periods, nor did changes in zonulin between the egg white and whole egg periods across participants correlate with changes in serum LBP. Similarly, serum concentrations of acetic acid and propionic acid – which are positively associated with gut and metabolic health – did not differ between egg diets.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that whole egg-induced increases in LBP are dependent on baseline LBP concentrations, and that LBP increases from whole egg consumption may support immune-mediated pathogen defense without adversely impacting gut integrity.

Funding Sources: This study was funded by an Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and pilot funding from the University of Connecticut.