Eggs help cut calories

New research from Surrey University, the first of its kind in the UK, has found that eating eggs at breakfast, compared to other common breakfasts, may help weight loss by keeping you fuller for longer and helping to reduce calorie intake from subsequent meals[1].
 
The study, presented today at The Nutrition Society Winter Meeting 2011, showed that eating eggs at breakfast increases satiety, reduces hunger and subsequently reduces energy intake at lunch when compared to a cereal-based breakfast and at dinner when compared to a croissant-based breakfast.

The randomised study involved participants consuming one of three typical UK test breakfasts with the same level of calories, on separate occasions. The breakfasts consisted of either eggs on toast, cereal (cornflakes) and milk and toast, or a croissant and orange juice.

Adding to the growing body of evidence on including eggs to support weight loss diets, the Surrey team found participants showed increased satiety, less hunger, and a lower desire to eat after the egg breakfast compared to the cereal and croissant based breakfasts. The egg breakfast was also related to a significantly lower intake of energy at lunch and evening compared to the other commonly eaten breakfasts.

The findings of this study follow research earlier this year, published in The International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, which showed that an egg-based lunch can help people feel fuller for longer when compared with other common lunches with similar calorie counts[2].

Previous US research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition[3] found that when women were given either an egg or bagel-based-breakfast, of equal calories, the women eating the eggs felt fuller and had less desire to eat other foods within the following 24 hours.

And a fourth study[4] published in 2010 compared eating a three egg breakfast and a low fat, bagel breakfast in a group of men. The researchers found that the participants were less hungry and consumed less energy at lunch after having the egg breakfast, and their response to ghrelin – the only hormone known to stimulate hunger – was suppressed.

Professor Bruce Griffin, study researcher, says: "This study provides yet more evidence that eating eggs at breakfast can help keep us feeling fuller for longer and may help people to eat less at subsequent meals, thus helping with weight loss."

Eating eggs as part of a balanced diet is a great way to obtain a number of vitamins and minerals our bodies need. A study published in 2010, in the journal Nutrition & Food Science, revealed that eggs are one of the most nutrient-dense foods that money can buy and recommended we should be eating at least one egg a day to get the optimum benefits[5].

References

1 Wilson L, Fallaize R, Gray J, Morgan L, Griffin B. Eggs at breakfast increase satiety and reduce the subsequent intake of energy at lunch and an evening meal relative to cereal or croissant-based breakfasts. University of Surrey. Presented at The Nutrition Society Winter Meeting 6th-7th December 2011.
2 Pombo-Rodrigues S, Calame W, Re R 2011. The effects of consuming eggs for lunch on satiety and subsequent food intake. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition.
3 Vander Wal JS et al (2005). Short term effect of eggs on satiety in overweight and obese subjects. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 245: 510-515.
4 Ratliff J, Leite JO, de Ogburn R, Puglisi MJ, VanHeest J, Fernandez ML (2010). Consuming eggs for breakfast influences plasma glucose and ghrelin, while reducing energy intake during the next 24 hours in adult men. Nutrition Research 30: 96-103
5 Ruxton C, Derbyshire E, Gibson S (2010). The nutritional properties and health benefits of eggs. Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 40 No. 3.