Having eggs for breakfast can help adults manage hunger as well as cut calorie consumption throughout the day, according to new research.

A study led by Maria Luz Fernandez, professor in nutritional sciences at the University of Connecticut, probed differences in post-meal hunger and daily caloric intake when eating a breakfast of either protein-rich eggs or carbohydrate-rich bagels.

Although the two breakfast options contained an identical amount of calories, researchers found that adult men who consumed eggs for breakfast consumed fewer calories as compared to the bagel breakfast in the 24-hour period. They reported feeling less hungry and more satisfied three hours after the egg breakfast compared to the bagel breakfast.

One egg has 13 essential vitamins and minerals in varying amounts, high-quality protein and antioxidants - all for 70 calories. Eggs are also an excellent source of choline, an essential nutrient required for life's most basic functions and vital for foetal and infant brain development.

This study supports previous research published in the International Journal of Obesity, which found that eating eggs for breakfast as part of a reduced-calorie diet helped overweight dieters lose 65 percent more weight and feel more energetic than dieters who ate a bagel breakfast of equal calories and volume.

The study also found no significant difference in blood levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) - cholesterol and triglycerides - between the individuals who ate egg breakfast and those who ate bagel breakfast.

Researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Centre assessed the impact of a protein-rich breakfast on appetite and overall calorie consumption among teenagers who traditionally skip breakfast. They consumed fewer calories at lunch when they ate a protein-rich breakfast of solid foods compared with a protein-rich beverage breakfast, said a Connecticut release.

Previous research published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that consuming high-quality protein foods for breakfast, such as eggs, can keep individuals satisfied longer, and may help them consume fewer calories throughout the day. These studies support more than 30 years of research showing that healthy adults can consume eggs as part of a healthy diet. Eggs are all-natural and packed with a number of nutrients. These findings were presented this week at Experimental Biology 2009.

Source: IANS