Aug 18, 2008 – Two eggs for breakfast would be better than a bagel when trying to shed extra pounds. This is the conclusion of a study1 conducted at the University of Louisiana, financially supported by the American Egg Board.
The researchers recruited 79 individuals who were overweight (that is, whose body mass index, or BMI, was equal to or greater than 25). They offered them a low calorie diet of 1000 calories per day.
In the study, half of the subjects ate a breakfast consisting of a bagel, cream cheese and yogurt, for a total of 339 calories. Instead, the others ate two scrambled eggs, a toast and some jam, for a total of 340 calories.
After eight weeks of this diet, those who ate eggs for breakfast lost an average of 2.63 kilograms, and their BMIs had dropped by 0.95 points. In comparison, those who ate bagels lost 1.59 kilograms, and their BMIs dropped by 0.59 points.
These results come as no surprise to nutritionist Nathalie Jobin, from Extenso2. “Eggs contain protein that is more satiating than the carbohydrates in bagels. People who ate eggs probably weren’t hungry before lunch, while the rest may have snacked in the morning and passed 1,000 calories, ”she explains.
Of note: a third group ate eggs for breakfast, but did not follow a low-calorie diet. No significant weight loss was observed among these participants.
Eating eggs would therefore help to lose weight only when this habit is combined with a controlled diet.
Dominique Forget – PasseportSanté.net
1. Vaner Wal JS, et al, Egg breakfast enhances weight loss, International Journal of Obesity, advance online publication 5 August 2008; doi: 10.1038 / ijo.2008.130.
2. Extenso is a reference center on human nutrition, attached to the University Center for Preventive Nutrition of the University of Montreal. For more information: www.extenso.org [consulté le 18 août 2008].
