Long-term egg-protein hydrolysate consumption improves endothelial function: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in older adults with overweight or obesity

The dietary egg-protein hydrolysate Newtricious (NWT)-03 has previously demonstrated improvements in blood pressure and metabolic profiles. However, the long-term effects on vascular function and cardiometabolic risk markers are unknown.

Forty-four older (aged 60–75) adults with overweight/obesity experiencing elevated Subjective Cognitive Failures (SCF) were randomized into a 36-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants either consumed 5.7 g of an egg-protein hydrolysate (NWT-03) or maltodextrin placebo. Endothelial function (brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation [FMD] and carotid artery reactivity [CAR] responses after a cold pressor test), arterial stiffness (carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity [PWV_c-f]), retinal microvascular calibers, and cardiometabolic risk markers (insulin sensitivity using a 7-point oral glucose tolerance test, serum lipid profiles, and blood pressure) were evaluated.

FMD observed a non-significant trend towards a 0.3 percentage point (pp) increase in the intervention compared to the placebo group (95% CI: [0.0, 0.7]; p = 0.08), and a significant intervention effect was observed on CAR responses based on a 0.7 pp improvement after a cold pressor test (95% CI: [0.1, 1.3]; p = 0.03). No significant overall changes were observed for arterial stiffness as measured by PWV_c-f. Retinal microvascular calibers and cardiometabolic parameters also did not change.

Long-term supplementation with 5.7 g of the egg-protein hydrolysate NWT-03 for 36 weeks improved vascular endothelial function in older adults with overweight/obesity experiencing elevated SCF, which may benefit cardiovascular disease risk. No overall changes in other vascular function markers, retinal microvascular calibers or cardiometabolic risk markers were observed.

The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov in January 2021 as NCT04831203: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04831203