Eating eggs 5 times a week would help you stay slim

Scientific studies have often focused on eggs, and their consequences on cardiovascular health. They have sometimes been accused of raising cholesterol levels. This time, Spanish and Chilean researchers wanted to understand the role of the egg in weight control. In a study published in Clinical Nutritionthey show how regular egg consumption contributes to a better body composition.

An analysis of weekly egg consumption to understand its effects on weight

The research team recruited 355 first-year students at a Spanish university, aged between 18 and 30. They collected different data, including their height, weight and body composition. At the same time, they submitted them a questionnaire to assess their consumption of eggs. The researchers did not ask the participants about how they consumed them. Once this different information had been obtained, the scientists divided the participants into different groups: those who ate it less than once a week, one to four times a week and those who ate it at least five times a week.

Egg consumption correlated with BMI

Analysis of the data collected shows that students consuming eggs at least five times a week had lower body mass indexes and lower fat levels, compared to the other two groups. In this group, the average body mass index was 22.5 compared to around 23.5 for the other two. The waist-to-height ratio was 0.45 in the group that ate eggs more than five times a week, compared to almost 5 for the others. However, the lower this data, the better.
The scientists linked these results to the participants’ responses regarding their dietary habits, including their protein intake and the amount of calories ingested on average. “The association between egg consumption and body composition is related to protein intake”, note the authors. This means that the main difference between the groups is the egg-related protein intake. However, they are part of the nutrients to consume regularly. According to ANSESthey must represent between 10 to 27% of the total energy intake, for a person under 60 years of age.

The benefits of eggs on weight: results to be confirmed

“This finding is significant from a public health perspective, suggesting that a higher egg consumption of more than five eggs per week may lead to a healthier body composition, particularly due to higher protein intake. higher“, enthuse the authors. However, it is necessary to underline a limit to this study: it is observational. This means that it highlights a correlation between the consumption of eggs and a lower weight, but it does not allow to establish a cause and effect relationship.