Analyzing the effects of egg powder as a supplement
Sierra Leone
To determine the effects of daily egg powder consumption on intestinal permeability and linear growth in rural children in Sierra Leone at 12 and 24 weeks, as well as to phenotype environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) in high-risk wasted and stunted children.
A randomized, partially blinded, controlled trial in moderately wasted children aged 6-30 months in rural Sierra Leone, testing 15 grams of daily egg powder (equivalent to one large egg) supplementation + micronutrients vs 15 grams corn/soy powder + micronutrients for 24 weeks.
Key details
- EED, stunting, and moderate wasting co-occur in millions of children worldwide, increasing their immediate risks for serious illness and death as well as altering their life trajectories through cyclic illnesses and impaired neurocognitive development. Moderate wasting has a prevalence of 30 million and stunting 140 million; EED’s prevalence is unknown but approaches 75% among children with moderate wasting in Sierra Leone.
- Potential impact: If egg powder improves intestinal integrity and reduces linear growth faltering, these findings would serve as the much-needed evidence-base for product optimization for malnourished children and would inform guidelines, policies, and programs for complementary feeding. This would further accelerate the scale-up of such interventions.
