The food lowers cravings for high-sugar and high-fat foods and suppresses appetite during the day.
Eating two eggs for breakfast can increase weight loss by 65 percent, a study finds.
When combined with a reduced-calorie diet, eggs help people lose weight when compared to another breakfast with a similar number of calories.
People in the study who ate eggs for breakfast reduced their BMI by 61 percent more than a comparison group.
They also reported having more energy.
Having a breakfast high in protein lowers cravings for high-sugar and high-fat foods and suppresses appetite during the day, other studies have shown.
Eating more calories in the morning and less in the evening can double weight loss, studies have found.
Dr Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, study co-author, said:
“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.”
For the study, 152 overweight or obese people were split into a number of groups, with some going on an egg breakfast diet and others on a bagel breakfast diet.
Despite everyone in the study eating the same amount of calories, those eating eggs for breakfast lost 65 percent more weight than those eating bagels for breakfast.
Eggs did not increase cholesterol levels or change triglycerides, suggesting they are healthy.
Jackie Newgent, a nutritionist, said:
“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.”
The study was published in the International Journal of Obesity (Vander Wal et al., 2008).
