What the Clinical Evidence Shows for Eggshell Membrane as a Nutraceutical Ingredient

Stratum Nutrition researchers Nena B. Dockery and Kevin J. Ruff, along with Cem Aydogan of Phytonet AG, authored "Eggshell Membrane as a Health Supplement," a chapter in the newly published volume Eggshell for Biomedical Applications.¹

The chapter reviews decades of in vitro, in vivo, and human clinical research into eggshell membrane, an ingredient composed of roughly 90% protein, including type I, V, and X collagen, along with glycosaminoglycans and eggshell matrix proteins.¹ For manufacturers evaluating joint health, healthy aging, or gut health formulations, the chapter offers a picture of where the ingredient's evidence base is strongest and where it remains largely preclinical.

What Does the Clinical Evidence Show for Joint Health?

Joint health represents the most extensively studied application for eggshell membrane, and the chapter traces that evidence from early open-label pilot work through several placebo-controlled trials. In a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 60 participants with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis, 500 mg daily of a partially hydrolyzed eggshell membrane ingredient significantly reduced pain and stiffness scores on a standard osteoarthritis index at 10, 30, and 60 days, though overall function scores did not reach statistical significance.²

A more recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 100 participants with mild to moderate osteoarthritis similarly found substantial reductions in total osteoarthritis index scores after 6 and 12 weeks of supplementation.³

Not every trial has shown a benefit, however. A 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a different, fully hydrolyzed eggshell membrane ingredient in 88 adults with knee osteoarthritis found no statistically significant improvement in the same osteoarthritis index, a 6-minute walk test, or range-of-motion testing compared with placebo, though a subgroup analysis suggested that participants with the poorest baseline performance saw earlier improvement.⁴

The chapter's own review of the broader trial literature reflects this same pattern, which is that several studies report clear, statistically significant benefits, while others report improvement from baseline without reaching significance against placebo.

What Does the Evidence Show for Skin, Liver, and Gut Health Applications?

Beyond joint health, the chapter reviews research into eggshell membrane's effects on skin aging, liver fibrosis, colitis, and glucose metabolism. Several small human trials report improvements in measures like skin elasticity and hydration, while the mechanistic research explaining how eggshell membrane affects collagen production and skin barrier function comes primarily from cell culture and rodent studies rather than large controlled human trials. The liver antifibrosis and anticolitis research is similarly based mainly on rodent models examining gene expression and inflammatory markers, and the antidiabetes section describes peptide identification work and a single case report rather than controlled trials in people with diabetes.

How Does This Body of Research Vary by Therapeutic Area?

The evidence varies across therapeutic areas. Joint health has the most human trial support, though results differ across eggshell membrane preparations, hydrolysis methods, and dosing regimens, meaning findings from 1 branded ingredient do not necessarily apply to another.

The skin, liver, gut, and metabolic applications rest more heavily on preclinical and mechanistic research, which can support a formulation hypothesis without establishing efficacy in people. The chapter notes that further human clinical research is needed to expand and confirm these applications.

What Are the Open Questions for Formulators?

Manufacturers considering eggshell membrane should note that different processing methods, unhydrolyzed, partially hydrolyzed, and fully hydrolyzed, appear to produce meaningfully different biological effects, based on the chapter's review. Freshness of the source material has also been identified as a factor influencing outcomes in at least 1 trial referenced in the chapter.

References

1. Dockery NB, Aydogan C, Ruff KJ. Eggshell membrane as a health supplement. In: Eggshell for Biomedical Applications. Elsevier; 2026. doi:10.1016/B978-0-443-27438-1.00018-9

2. Ruff K, Winkler A, Jackson R, DeVore D, Ritz B. Eggshell membrane in the treatment of pain and stiffness from osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. Clin Rheumatol. 2009;28:907-914.

3. Park S, Ko SH, Yoon NK, et al. Efficacy of natural eggshell membrane for knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Funct Foods. 2024;121:106449.

4. Hewlings S, Kalman D, Schneider LV. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective clinical trial evaluating water-soluble chicken eggshell membrane for improvement in joint health in adults with knee osteoarthritis. J Med Food. 2019;22(9):875-884. doi:10.1089/jmf.2019.0068