Loose weight, eat eggs

A new study published by the International Journal of Obesity has shown that consuming two eggs for breakfast, as part of a reduced-calorie diet, helps overweight adults feel more energetic and lose more weight than those who ate a bagel breakfast of equal calories, according to the American Egg Board (AEB).

"Apparently, increased energy and satiety from consuming eggs helps people better comply with a reduced-calorie diet," explained Dr. Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, lead researcher and associate professor in the laboratory of infection and obesity at Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

Compared to people in the study who ate a bagel breakfast, men and women who ate the two eggs lost 65% more weight, exhibited 61% more reduction in body mass and reported higher levels of energy, according to the study.

No effect on cholesterol
Furthermore, blood lipids were not affected during the two-month study as high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and triglycerides did not vary from the baseline levels of the participants in either of the breakfast programs, according to the study.

AEB said this adds to more than 30 years of research concluding that healthy adults can consume eggs without significantly affecting their heart disease risk.

High quality protein
AEB also said the study adds to a growing amount of research that supports the importance of high-quality protein in the diet, citing last May's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that contained nine research articles focusing on the value of high-quality protein in the diet. An important conclusion was that a diet inadequate in protein contributes to muscle loss, obesity and increased risk of chronic disease.

The study supports earlier research showing that women who ate eggs for breakfast felt more satisfied and consumed fewer calories at their next meal.

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