The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A study published online this week in the International Journal of Obesity shows that eating two eggs for breakfast, as part of a reduced-calorie diet, helps overweight adults lose more weight and feel more energetic than those who eat a bagel breakfast of equal calories. This study supports previous research, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, which showed that people who ate eggs for breakfast felt more satisfied and ate fewer calories at the following meal. ÒPeople 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,Ó said Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, Ph.D., lead researcher and associate professor in the department of infection and obesity at Louisiana State UniversityÕs Pennington Biomedical Research Center. ÒApparently, the increased satiety and energy due to eggs helps people better comply with a reduced-calorie diet.Ó Compared to the subjects who ate a bagel breakfast, men and women who consumed two eggs for breakfast as part of a reduced-calorie diet: lost 65 per ent more weight; exhibited a 61 per cent greater reduction in BMI; and reported higher energy levels than their dieting counterparts who consumed a bagel breakfast. The egg and bagel breakfasts provided the same number of calories and had identical weights (energy density), which is an important control factor in satiety and weight loss studies. The researchers also found that blood lipids were not impacted during the two-month study. They found that blood levels of HDL and LDL cholesterol, as well as triglycerides, did not vary compared to baseline cholesterol blood levels in subjects who ate either the bagel or egg breakfasts. These findings add to 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. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) published a special issue in May 2008, which contains nine articles that focus on the value of high-quality protein in the American diet. A major finding was 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. ÒEggs 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,Ó said Newgent. ÒNearly half of an eggÕs protein, and many of the other nutrients, are found in the yolk, so make sure to eat the whole egg for maximum benefits.Ó To receive an educational brochure on high-quality protein and for more information on the benefits of eggs, visit the Egg Nutrition Center at www.enc-online.org.
