(P17-053-25) Consuming Primarily Egg Dishes and Eggs As Ingredients Among U.S. Adolescents Is Associated With Greater Usual Nutrient Intakes Compared With Not Consuming Eggs

Objectives: Adolescents should consume a variety of nutrient-dense foods for proper development. Eggs are a nutritious option that can help meet these dietary recommendations. Therefore, this study assessed the relationship between egg consumption level and nutrient intake, nutrient adequacy, and micronutrient quality among U.S. adolescents.

Methods: Adolescents in the 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (14-17y; n=3,691) with ≥1 24-hour dietary recall were included. Egg consumption was categorized as 1) non-egg consumer, 2) consumer of eggs as ingredients, or 3) consumer of a primarily egg dish. Usual nutrient intakes, nutrient adequacy, and micronutrient quality scores for intakes from all sources (i.e., Total Nutrient Index (TNI); scored from 0-100; foods + supplements) and foods alone (i.e., Food Nutrient Index (FNI); from 0-100) were estimated using the National Cancer Institute method. Pairwise t-tests compared the nutrient markers.

Results: Adolescents exhibited a high risk of inadequacy for choline, calcium, magnesium, and vitamins D and E. Primarily egg dish consumers exhibited higher mean usual intakes for lutein+zeaxanthin, choline, riboflavin, selenium, vitamins A and D, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and protein than non-egg consumers; and for lutein+zeaxanthin, choline, selenium, and DHA than those consuming eggs as ingredients (P < 0.001). Consuming eggs as ingredients showed higher iron and vitamin E intakes compared with not consuming eggs. Consuming primarily egg dishes and eggs as ingredients had higher TNI total (76 and 71 vs. 65) and scores for magnesium (69 and 66 vs. 60) and potassium (83 and 80 vs. 73), and FNI scores for potassium (82 and 80 vs. 73), than not consuming eggs, respectively (all P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Egg consumption among U.S. adolescents, either in primary egg dishes or as ingredients, was associated with greater prevalence of achieving intake at or above nutrient markers compared with non-egg consumers, suggesting that eggs could be an effective dietary strategy to help meet nutrient needs among adolescents.

Funding Sources: This research was funded by the American Egg Board’s Egg Nutrition Center, Contract Number 22057732 and H.A.E-M received support from the Danone International Prize from Alimentation from the Danone Institute International Association and the French Medical Research Foundation.