Want to lose weight? Eat eggs for breakfast

Eating at least two eggs for breakfast helps overweight adults lose more weight and feel more energetic, revealed a new study by an Indian-origin researcher. Nikhil V Dhurandhar, PhD, lead researcher and associate professor in the laboratory of infection and obesity at Pennington Biomedical Research Center said that eating two eggs in the morning, as part of a reduced-calorie diet, helps in losing 65 per cent weight in overweight people, than those who eat bagel breakfast of equal calories.

This study supports a previous research that showed that people who ate eggs for breakfast felt more satisfied and ate fewer calories in the following meal. "People have a hard time adhering to diets and our research shows that choosing eggs for breakfast can dramatically improve the success of a weight loss plan. Apparently, the increased satiety and energy due to eggs helps people better comply with a reduced-calorie diet,” said Dhurandhar.
When the subjects who ate a bagel breakfast were compared with those who consumed two eggs for breakfast as part of a reduced-calorie diet, it was also found that men and women who had eggs exhibited a 61 per cent greater reduction in BMI. They also reported higher energy levels than their dieting counterparts who consumed a bagel breakfast

However, it was found that blood lipids were not impacted during the two month study. Also, blood levels of cholesterol, as well as triglycerides, did not vary compared to baseline cholesterol blood levels in subjects who ate either the bagel or egg breakfasts. This supports more than 30 years of research that conclude that healthy adults can enjoy eggs without significantly impacting their risk of heart disease.

This study adds to the growing body of research which supports the importance of high-quality protein in the diet. It was found recently that not getting enough high-quality protein may contribute to obesity, muscle wasting (loss) and increased risk of chronic disease.

Jackie Newgent, registered dietitian and chef, stresses the importance of obtaining adequate high-quality protein when advising consumers about weight loss. "Eggs are a good source of all-natural, high-quality protein, so they can help keep you satisfied longer, making it easier to resist tempting snacks. Nearly half of an egg’s protein, and many of the other nutrients are found in the yolk, so make sure to eat the whole egg for maximum benefits," said Newgent.