Metabolic effects of dietary edible bird's nest intake: A 12-week double-blind randomized controlled metabolomics...

Edible bird's nest (EBN) is a traditional functional food in Asia, with reported antioxidant and metabolic regulatory properties in preclinical studies, but evidence from controlled human studies describing its metabolic effects remains limited. This study aimed to characterize the serum metabolomic response to dietary EBN supplementation in healthy adults. In a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 109 healthy women were randomly assigned to placebo, low-dose EBN (3.5 g/day), or high-dose EBN (7.0 g/day). Untargeted serum metabolomics was conducted at baseline and during follow-up to assess metabolic changes associated with EBN intake. EBN intake was associated with time- and dose-dependent alterations in serum metabolomic profiles, with separation from the placebo group emerging by Week 4 and further separation observed at Week 8, followed by attenuation at Week 12. The metabolic response was primarily characterized by changes in amino acid- and lipid-related metabolites, including reduced circulating branched-chain amino acids and increased levels of phosphatidylcholine (PC 18:0) and nordihydroguaiaretic acid. Pathway analysis indicated coordinated modulation of branched-chain amino acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and pentose phosphate pathway-related redox processes, whereas pathway-level changes in the placebo group were limited. These findings provide human-based metabolomic evidence supporting EBN as a functional food with potential dose-dependent metabolic effects. Further studies are warranted to assess these responses across populations and intake durations, and to clarify optimal intake levels and their physiological relevance.