Eggs have been celebrated as an inexpensive source of protein and maligned for their high cholesterol content. Extreme diets advocate eating eggs almost exclusively, despite the damage such a radical diet can cause. However, research does show that eating eggs for breakfast reduces a person’s overall daily caloric intake.
Reduced Daily Caloric Intake After Egg Breakfast
A 2005 study reported in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (Vol. 24, No. 6) demonstrated that overweight and obese women who ate 2 boiled eggs for breakfast consumed an average of 400 fewer calories throughout the day than those who ate carbohydrate-rich foods.
The study (conducted by the Rochester Center for Obesity Research & Treatment, St. Louis University and Wayne State University) further showed that “[e]nergy intake following the egg breakfast remained lower for the entire day as well as for the next 36 hours.”
Amino Acid Leucine and Weight Loss
While the study did not explore the potential for other protein sources to produce the same reduced-calorie effect, eggs contain a diet-friendly combination of protein, fat and the amino acid leucine that may be the key to their weight loss magic.
According to Nutritionist Donald Layman, PhD, on the WebMD website, “leucine has a particularly unique effect in that it spares muscle proteins during weight loss, so you only lose the fat and not the muscle.”
While other protein foods are high in leucine (such as raw soybeans, lentils, beef and chicken), eggs are both accessible and inexpensive, which makes dieters more likely to consume them on a regular basis.
Eggs and Cholesterol
Beginning in the late 1970s, Americans were told to keep egg consumption to a minimum (typically, 2 per week) because of their high cholesterol content. However, studies in the past 15 years have shown that eggs may actually benefit people with elevated cholesterol levels.
A 1995 egg study conducted by the University of Washington's Northwest Lipid Research Clinic tracked 141 participants who consumed 2 eggs per day. One group ate regular eggs, the other a reduced cholesterol egg substitute.
“Among those eating regular eggs, blood cholesterol levels were unchanged even after three months, and their ‘good’ cholesterol counts, the high-density lipoproteins, even rose slightly, the study found.” (Boston Globe, November 15, 1995).
Eating a diet consisting primarily of eggs may result in dramatic weight loss, along with the unpleasant and potentially dangerous complications resulting from any extreme diet. However, those trying to lose fat and increase good cholesterol may want to consider trading in their usual fare for the 2-egg breakfast.
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