Eggs Aid in Weight Loss
Question: I liked your column about eggs. I plan to include more in my diet. You pointed out how inexpensive they are for the protein (most expensive part) of a meal. I need to include more protein in my diet to decrease water retention. Do you have any more ideas?
Mimi: The following study is provided by Rose Acres Farms. If you go to their web site, you will find recipes and even ideas for egg carton crafts. I wrote to them telling how much I appreciated the Bible verse in the carton when I was cooking breakfast. They wrote me back a personal letter. Now THAT is good customer service. www.ROSEACRE.COM
Your browser may not support display of this image.
NEW research has shown that eating eggs for breakfast helps women lose weight and feel more energetic, according to the lead researcher on the study.
The research compared dieting overweight women who ate a bagel-based breakfast with those who ate eggs and confirmed previous research, which determined that when people eat eggs for breakfast, they feel more satisfied and consume fewer calories throughout the day compared to people who do not eat eggs for breakfast.
The newest research was presented to the Experimental Biology 2007 conference.
Although it has been established that foods such as eggs that contain high-quality protein help people control their weight, "we were surprised at how definitive our findings were," said Dr. Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, lead researcher and associate professor in the department of infection and obesity at Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
The women who consumed eggs as part of a diet plan lost "significantly" more weight and reported "significantly" higher energy levels, Dhurandhar said.
The previous research was published two years ago in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, and both studies were supported by the American Egg Board (AEB) and Egg Nutrition Center (ENC).
Jump and avoid
Specifically, the newest study found that overweight women who consumed two eggs for breakfast at least five days per week for eight weeks as part of a low-fat diet lost 65% more weight, had 83% greater reduction in their waist circumference and reported greater energy levels than their dieting counterparts who consumed a bagel breakfast of the same calories.
The bagel and egg breakfasts not only provided the same calories but the same weight mass, an important control factor in satiety and weight loss studies, Dhurandhar said.
Additionally, the study found no significant difference in the blood levels of high- and low-density lipoproteins and triglycerides of the women in either group, confirming other research that healthy adults can eat eggs without affecting their risk of heart disease, according to the AEB-ENC announcement.
Further research presented at the biology conference highlighted other benefits of eggs, including a role in providing choline, an essential nutrient that has been shown to help prevent birth defects and promote brain and memory development but that is often lacking in American diets, AEB and ENC said.
"This weight-loss study confirms what we've been hearing anecdotally for years," said dietician Kathleen Zelman, director of nutrition for WebMD Health. It's especially good news not just because of the connection between eggs and weight loss but because eggs are an easy, inexpensive and versatile food that can be incorporated into anyone's diet, she said.
Zelman suggested that consumers can "jump start" their day with a breakfast that combines eggs with other healthful foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains or avoid the "morning rush" with a mix of scrambled eggs, low-fat cheese and tomato that can be microwaved for 60 seconds and used as a filling for an English muffin.
Steve Olson, executive director of the Broiler & Egg Assn. of Minnesota, said he was "pleased but not surprised" with the research. Eggs are a natural, unprocessed whole food that contain a number of nutrients, including protein, choline, folate, iron and zinc, with only 75 calories per egg.
He said consumers with any dietary questions should consult a dietician or doctor, and he noted that the American Heart Assn. recommends that consumers limit their cholesterol intake to 300 mg per day, which means consumers can eat an average of one large egg per day.
AEB provides egg industry advertising and promotion, consumer information and industry research at www.aeb.org.
ENC is a joint venture of AEB and the United Egg Producers and provides accurate, scientific information on the healthfulness, nutrition and safety of eggs. Additional information is available at www.enc-online.org.
Mimi Barre is the owner of International Day Spa, 325 Cajon St., Redlands.
Send your skin care questions to her at MimiB@INTLdayspa.com. She and her estheticians are available for personal consultations. (909) 793-9080. Past columns of Ask Mimi are on the web at www.INTERNATIONALdayspa.com.
