Prolonged Egg Supplement Advances Growing Child's Growth and Gut Microbiota

Abstract

Protein-energy malnutrition still impacts children's growth and development. We investigated the prolonged effects of egg supplementation on growth and microbiota in primary school children. For this study, 8-14-year-old students (51.5% F) in six rural schools in Thailand were randomly assigned into three groups: (1) whole egg (WE), consuming 10 additional eggs/week (n = 238) (n = 238); (2) protein substitute (PS), consuming yolk-free egg substitutes equivalent to 10 eggs/week (n = 200); and (3) control group (C, (n = 197)). The outcomes were measured at week 0, 14, and 35. At the baseline, 17% of the students were underweight, 18% were stunted, and 13% were wasted. At week 35, compared to the C group the weight and height difference increased significantly in the WE group (3.6 ± 23.5 kg, p < 0.001; 5.1 ± 23.2 cm, p < 0.001). No significant differences in weight or height were observed between the PS and C groups. Significant decreases in atherogenic lipoproteins were observed in the WE, but not in PS group. HDL-cholesterol tended to increase in the WE group (0.02 ± 0.59 mmol/L, ns). The bacterial diversity was similar among the groups. The relative abundance of Bifidobacterium increased by 1.28-fold in the WE group compared to the baseline and differential abundance analysis which indicated that Lachnospira increased and Varibaculum decreased significantly. In conclusion, prolonged whole egg supplementation is an effective intervention to improve growth, nutritional biomarkers, and gut microbiota with unaltered adverse effects on blood lipoproteins.

Keywords: growth; malnutrition; microbiome; primary school students; whole egg consumption.

Figure 1

Flow diagram of participants. Abbreviations; WE = whole egg group; PS = protein substitute group.

Figure 2

Anthropometrics and plasma lipid levels change in study group. (A) Mean of changes in height. (B) Mean of changes in weight. (C) Percentage of W/A change. (D) Percentage of H/A change. (E) Percentage of W/H change. (F) TC level. (G) TG level. (H) LDL-C level and (I) HDL-C level. The bar graph represents the mean. The error bar indicates the standard error of the mean (SEM). * The statistical significance between the group at p < 0.05. ** The statistical significance between the group at p < 0.01. *** The statistical significance between the group at p < 0.001. † The statistical significance within the group compared to the baseline. ‡ The statistical significance within the group compared to week 14. Abbreviations; PS = protein substitute group; WE = whole egg group; TC = total cholesterol; TG = triglyceride; LDL-C = low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDL-C = high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. 2–3.

Figure 3

Microbiome change in study group. (A) Taxonomy classification. (B) Alpha diversity observed in different time points among the host group. (C) Multidimensional scaling plot of beta diversity described by Permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity measure. (D) Differential abundances of bacteria and data are represented by effect size (log fold change of T3/T1) and 95% confidence interval bars (two-sided; FDR adjusted) derived from the ANCOM-BC model. All effect sizes with adjusted p < 0.05 are indicated, * p < 0.05; *** p < 0.001 of significance. Abbreviations; PS = protein substitute group; WE = whole egg group.