The Effect of Egg White Meal on Anemia in Patients on Hemodialysis Taking Erythropoietin and Iron Infusion

Objective

Eggs are a useful and cheap food source. We evaluated the effects of egg white meal on anemia in dialysis patients.

Methods

In an open-label, clinical trial, conducted in dialysis centers, 107 hemodialysis patients aged ≥ 18 years with hemoglobin levels below 12 g/dL and requiring treatment with artificial erythropoietin and iron infusion were included in the study. They were divided into a control and an intervention group. The participants in the intervention group consumed an egg white pack (containing 6 egg whites, 96 calories, 24 g protein) as a substitute for meat products 3 days a week for 8 weeks. Finally, changes in serum albumin, hemoglobin, ferritin and iron/total iron-binding capacity, erythropoietin dose, and iron infusion dose were measured.

Results

A total of 107 dialysis patients were studied (55 patients in egg white and 52 in control groups) with the mean age of 54.31 ± 16.35 years and male majority (57.90%). The mean of hemoglobin concentration had no statistically significant difference at baseline (P = .13) and after 4 weeks (P = .48), while after 8 weeks, the mean hemoglobin concentration in the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group (P = .03). Mean of synthetic erythropoietin dose after 4 and 8 weeks was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group (P = .30, P = .001). Lower Erythropoietin Resistance Index values in intervention group were significantly higher than the control group (P = .02).

Conclusion

We observed that consumption of egg whites led to an increase in mean hemoglobin concentration, serum iron, and albumin levels. These results suggest that egg whites could be a useful dietary intervention for dialysis patients with anemia.