Eggs to look after your weight

Eating eggs for breakfast instead of a bagel can reduce hunger and caloric intake both at lunchtime and over the next 24 hours.

The study compared the effects on hunger of two calorically-identical breakfasts, one consisting of two scrambled eggs and two slices of toast with low-calorie jelly, and the other a 3 1/2-inch bagel with cream cheese plus a 3-ounce nonfat yogurt. The study was carried out in 28 overweight individuals, because previous research that found greater satiety from a high-protein breakfast had only tested normal weight individuals.

"Obesity is a serious problem in the United States and throughout the world," said Dr. Nikhil Dhurandhar of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, the study's lead investigator. "Our hypothesis was that eggs could be useful in helping overweight people reduce their energy intakes, a prerequisite of losing weight. We needed to test it specifically in overweight and obese subjects instead of extrapolating the effects from their non-obese counterparts."

Subjects were randomly assigned to eat one of the two different breakfasts two weeks apart. Meals were prepared and eaten at the research facility to ensure complete control of the amounts consumed. Satiety and hunger after breakfast were evaluated by questionnaire and by measuring calories eaten at lunch, and from study subject diet diaries kept the following 24-hour period.

The researchers found that when participants had eaten the egg breakfast they consumed significantly less energy not only at lunch on that day, but also throughout the day and the next morning as compared to the bagel breakfast. On average they ate about 163 fewer calories for lunch, 263 fewer calories that day, and 418 fewer calories over a 24-hour period.

"Eggs are a convenient, affordable and nutritious food," said Dr. Dhurandhar. "They are an integral and established part of breakfast in many cultures and may be eaten safely on a regular basis. Recent data from the Nurses' Health Study showed that egg consumption did not contribute to the risk of coronary heart disease or stroke. Furthermore, eggs have a 50% higher satiety index than other common breakfast foods. These attributes suggest that eggs may be an important part of diets that promote weight management."

The findings from this study build upon earlier studies showing that protein-based breakfasts improved weight loss better than carbohydrate-focused breakfasts. One recent study from the University of Illinois, Urbana, found that a high protein breakfast increased loss of body fat and preserved lean muscle mass better than a high carbohydrate breakfast. The effects were increased when the dietary regime was combined with exercise.

In the current study, the researchers note that the sensation of satiety is multi-faceted, and eggs seem to have an impact on the psychological desire for food as well as the biochemical responses of the body to different types of nutrients. Dr. Dhurandhar and colleagues are currently carrying out longer-term studies to see the increased satiety and decreased energy intake translates into significant weight loss.

As a person fighting to remain in good shape, I do find eggs for breakfast very satisfying and will make me feeling full for a longer period of time. 2 soft boiled eggs will sure make and start my day with a cup of java of course.

Extracted from: e-diets