Egg white

Studies in people

• No harm found

  Egg allergy testing³

  Most people with low egg white allergy markers could eat egg during testing without symptoms.

• Benefit

  Baby eczema risk⁴

  Babies who ate egg white in their first year were less likely to get eczema by age two.

• Concern

  Gut bacteria in children⁵

  In children, egg white sensitivity is linked to different gut bacteria and higher levels of some fecal compounds.

• Benefit

  Phosphate levels in dialysis⁶

  In dialysis patients, eating egg white lowered phosphate and cholesterol and raised albumin in the blood.

• Benefit

  Egg allergy treatment⁹

  In people with egg allergy, eating small amounts of egg white over six months let all eight patients tolerate it.

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Egg allergy¹³

  In lab studies, egg white lysozyme kept triggering allergy-related immune reactions even after being broken down like in the stomach.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar control¹⁴

  In lab studies, egg white peptides showed DPP-IV inhibitory activity.

• Benefit

  Vitamin absorption in the gut¹⁵

  In lab studies, egg white shells helped release more vitamin D in the gut than plain vitamin D.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Belly fat and cholesterol¹⁰

  Eating egg white protein cut belly fat in rats and lowered cholesterol in men with mildly high levels.

• Benefit

  Gut lining repair¹²

  Egg white and its peptides may help restore the gut lining, but more studies are needed.

Allergies and intolerances

These are about people with an allergy, an intolerance or coeliac disease. The signal is about the ingredient itself, and these are about the person eating it, so the signal does not count them.

• Egg allergy in children⁷

  In children with egg allergy, baked egg caused far fewer reactions than egg white or egg yolk.

• Egg allergy reactions⁸

  In people allergic to eggs, ovalbumin and ovomucoid in egg white are the main proteins that trigger reactions.

How it’s made and used

• Foam in food¹¹

  Egg white proteins can form foams, and scientists are studying how to change their foaming properties.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.