Eggs: great for weight loss

After having been wrongly blamed for heart and cholesterol problems last century, eggs have been reinstated as a health food (for example, the major Nurses' Health Study). Researchers have found (1) that that if you boil, scramble or poach an egg for breakfast - versus eating a bagel with the same number of calories - you are much less likely to crave junk-food. In the study, these people ate fewer calories for at least 24 hours, without even trying.

If you have avoided eggs for years because of the cholesterol story, think again. Eggs have always been a great source of nutrients and protein (please, use free-range eggs, they are much better for you). For reasons that the scientists don't yet understand, it turns out that they make you feel fuller longer. In one study (1), overweight people who started the day with an egg were still eating fewer calories than normal by lunch the following day. Eggs have proved to be suitable for breakfast for those attempting to lose weight. (2)

However, unless you are focusing on weight loss, I don't recommend eggs as a daily food. Like dairy, eggs have only been consumed in any quantity since the advent of agriculture about 10,000 years ago, which is not enough time for a species to adapt to using eggs as a primary food source. Like dairy, eggs are involved with reproduction of a species. Eggs provide a convenient, relatively cheap and rich source of protein and other nutrients. However, if consumed regularly eggs are associated with a number of diseases like prostate cancer, (3) as well as being a common cause of allergies.

Eggs are a rich source of choline, which is also associated with prostate hypertrophy and cancer. (4)

Remember to cook egg whites but keep the egg yolk as raw as possible to keep the micro-nutrients intact (egg whites should be cooked because they contain avidin, and trypsin inhibitors which upset digestion. Lightly cooking egg whites until they are just white and solid neutralises both these anti-nutrients).

References

1. Vander Wal, J. S., Marth, J. M., Khosla, P., Jen, K. L., Dhurandhar, N. V. Short-term effect of eggs on satiety in overweight and obese subjects. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2005 Dec; 24(6):510-515.

2. Wal, J. V. et al. Egg breakfast enhances weight loss. International Journal of Obesity, 2008 Aug 5.

3. Richman EL, Stampfer MJ, Paciorek A, Broering JM, Carroll PR, Chan JM. Intakes of meat, fish, poultry, and eggs and risk of prostate cancer progression. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91:712-721.

4. Richman EL, Kenfield SA, Stampfer MJ, Giovannucci EL, Zeisel SH, Willett WC, et al. Choline intake and risk of lethal prostate cancer: incidence and survival. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96:855-863.