The study aims to assess the effects of daily consumption of nutrients-fortified eggs on eczema condition in Singapore individuals with eczema. The investigators hypothesize that egg consumption will improve eczema condition and nutrients fortified egg consumption will improve further improvements when compared to standard egg consumption in individuals with eczema
English-literate and able to give informed consent in English
Male and female participants, aged between 21 and 59 inclusive
Healthy individuals with no underlying condition or on regular medication
BMI between 18.5-25 kg/m2
Significant change in body weight (3 kg or more) in the past 3 months
Significant exercise pattern over the past 3 months defined as high-intensity exercise of more than 3 hours per week
Known food allergy to eggs
Taking dietary supplements which may impact the study results
Parallel
Nutrient-fortified egg
Dietary supplementConsumption of nutrient-fortified eggs with habitual diet
Regular egg with habitual diet
Dietary supplementConsumption of regular egg with habitual diet
Skin questionnaires - SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) Index
SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) Index is a clinical tool used to assess the severity of atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as eczema. This index can estimate participants' body surface area affected by burns (extent - A: percentage of body surface area affected), Intensity (B: clinical signs are assessed and scored on a scale from 0 (absent) to 3 (severe)), Subjective Symptoms (C: itch, sleep disturbance are evaluated based on the participants' report over the past three days, each scored on a scale from 0 (no symptom) to 10(severe symptom)). The SCORAD index is calculated using the following formula: SCORAD=A/5+7B/2+C Interpretation Mild atopic dermatitis: SCORAD \< 25 Moderate atopic dermatitis: SCORAD 25-50 Severe atopic dermatitis: SCORAD \> 50
Skin questionnaires - Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) scoring system
EASI evaluates the extent and severity of eczema in four body regions: the head and neck, the trunk, the upper limbs, and the lower limbs. The EASI score ranges from 0 to 72, with higher scores indicating more severe eczema: 0: No eczema 1-7: Mild eczema 8-21: Moderate eczema 22-50: Severe eczema 51-72: Very severe eczema
Skin questionnaires - Dermatology life quality index (DLQI)
DLQI is a dermatology-specific instrument used to measure the impact of skin diseases on patients' quality of life. Which assessed disease impact, monitor treatment effectiveness, guide clinical decision-making. Interpretation of Scores: 0-1: No effect on patient's life 2-5: Small effect on patient's life 6-10: Moderate effect on patient's life 11-20: Very large effect on patient's life 21-30: Extremely large effect on patient's life
Skin measurement - eczema related
Skin hydration - units arbitrary Corneometer®. Transepidermal water loss - units gram/hour. Sebum level - unit µg/cm2. Skin pH level - skin pH meter. Skin tape stripping: stratum corneum components assessed by immune dot blots
Eye health - Macular Pigment Optical Density
A measurement of macular pigment of the eye using a heterochromatic flicker photometry device. The measurements are in arbitrary units.
Eye health - Visual acuity
Participants will read out letters on a ETDRS LogMAR chart at a fixed distance where letters becomes smaller as it goes down the chart. Tests results will be recorded in number of letters read, where the more letters the better the outcome.
Eye health - Photostress recovery time
An ophthalmoscope will be used to shine a light into the participants eye for 10 seconds, and participants will be required to read letters off a chart the moment their vision returns to normal. The faster the recovery time, the better the outcome. Units will be in seconds
Visual function questionnaire 25
A questionnaire to for participants to self-evaluate their perception of their current eye health based on general vision, ocular pain, near activities, distance activities, vision specific functions, driving, color vision and peripheral vision. The best possible score is 100 and worst possible score is 0.
Dietary assessment
3-day food record will be used to assess participants' dietary intake for two weekdays and one weekend day before each clinical visit.
Measurement of height
Height will be measured using height-weight scale and units will be in cm.
Measurement of blood pressure
A blood pressure monitoring device available commercially will be used be to measure their systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Unit is mmHg.
Measurement of weight
Weight will be measured using height-weight scale and units will be in kg.
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National University of Singapore
Lead sponsor
National University Hospital, Singapore
Collaborator
Ministry of Education, Singapore
Collaborator
