Maternal Intake of Eggs and Infant Neurodevelopment (MIND)

The fetal brain requires DHA, choline, lutein, and zeaxanthin (L/Z) for development, dependent on maternal intake during pregnancy. However, many pregnant women do not meet daily requirements through diet or prenatal vitamins. Egg yolks are rich in choline, and women who consume eggs daily are more likely to meet the adequate intake of 450 mg/day. A recent study by Christifano et al. found that maternal egg and neuroprotective nutrient intake predicted neurodevelopment at 32 and 36 weeks of gestation. This study aims to determine if fetal neurodevelopment is enhanced among women who consume a prenatal diet emphasizing egg consumption (EGG) versus a healthy prenatal diet education control group (HPD). Women between 12-20 weeks' gestation will be randomized into EGG and HPD groups. The EGG group will receive education on the importance of prenatal choline and egg consumption and be encouraged to consume 10-14 eggs per week. The HPD group will receive education on a healthy prenatal diet. Both groups will be encouraged to take a DHA supplement, and dietary intake of choline, L/Z, and DHA will be collected. Fetal heart rate variability will be measured at 36 weeks gestation and infant EEGs will be conducted postnatally to examine brain function. Increasing prenatal egg consumption is both economical and feasible to boost prenatal choline intake, promote offspring neurodevelopment, and guide prenatal dietary recommendations.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Pregnancy Related
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Egg Supplementation; Dietary supplement: Healthy Prenatal Diet

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Nicole Mathis, MS; Phone Number: 913-588-1906; Email: nmathis@kumc.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Lara Bennett, MS; Phone Number: 913-945-9149; Email: lbennett@kumc.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Kansas
    • Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 66160
      • Recruiting
      • The University of Kansas Medical Center
      • Contact: Nicole Mathis, MS; Phone Number: 913-588-1906
      • Contact: Lara Bennett, MS; Phone Number: 913-945-9149
      • Principal Investigator: Danielle Christifano, PhD
      • Sub-Investigator: Alexandra Brown, PhD
      • Sub-Investigator: Ke Liao, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant females ≥18 years of age
• 12 to 20-weeks' gestation at enrollment
• No serious illnesses likely to confound study outcomes
• Consuming 3 eggs/week or less at enrollment and willing to increase consumption during the study
• Singleton gestation
• Available by telephone and text

Exclusion Criteria:

• Less than 18 years at enrollment
• Gestational age at enrollment <12 or >20 weeks
• Any serious illness likely to confound study outcomes
• Consuming more than 3 eggs per week at enrollment
• Unable/unwilling to consume eggs until delivery or egg allergy
• Expecting multiple infants
• No access to telephone or text

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: EGG Group; The EGG group will receive education on the importance of prenatal choline and egg consumption and be encouraged to consume 10-14 eggs per week.	Dietary supplement: Egg Supplementation; Encouraged to consume 10-14 eggs per week.
Placebo Comparator: HPD Group; The HPD group will receive education on a healthy prenatal diet	Dietary supplement: Healthy Prenatal Diet; Educated on standard healthy prenatal diet and encouraged to follow recommendations.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Fetal neurodevelopment as indexed by heart rate variability (HRV)	Group comparisons will be made between time-domain metrics of fetal HRV (SDNN, RMSSD) between those in EEG vs. HPD groups using a dedicated fetal heart rate monitor.	36 weeks gestational age

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Fetal neurodevelopment as indexed by heart rate variability (HRV)	Relationship between intake of maternal neuroprotective nutrients, including choline, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), lutein and zeaxanthin (L/Z) as measured by the Diet History Questionnaire-III and offspring neurodevelopment at 36 weeks gestation (fetal HRV).	36 weeks gestational age
Infant neurodevelopment as indexed by event-related potentials (ERP)	Brain neurophysiology will be measured at 1 month of age. Assessments of band-limited spectral power during resting-state will be assessed. Event-related potentials (ERP) to auditory stimuli will be recorded. Group comparisons will be made between measures of resting state spectral power and auditory ERP components.	1 month postnatal age
Infant neurodevelopment as indexed by event-related potentials (ERP)	Relationship between intake of maternal neuroprotective nutrients, including choline, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), lutein and zeaxanthin (L/Z) as measured by the Diet History Questionnaire-III and offspring neurodevelopment at 1 month postnatal age (infant ERP).	1 month postnatal age

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Kansas Medical Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Danielle Christifano, PhD, University of Kansas Medical Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 30, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 6, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 13, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 6, 2026
• Last Verified: October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pregnancy; Neurodevelopment; Prenatal Nutrition
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00161320; Award 2025-67017-44743 (Other Grant/Funding Number: USDA)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No