June 12/Islamabad, Pakistan/Right Vision News -- Eating eggs for breakfast everyday can reduce hunger and decrease calorie consumption at lunch and throughout the day.

There is a growing body of evidence that supports the importance of high-quality protein in the diet for overall health and, in particular, the importance of protein at the breakfast meal, Health News reported.

The researchers hypothesized that consuming eggs for breakfast would significantly lower hunger and energy intake throughout the day.

To judge this hypothesis, the researchers examined two typical American breakfasts --  an egg breakfast and a bagel breakfast -- and the participants' self-reported appetite ratings.

For this, 21 men, aged between 20 and 70 years, were recruited and asked to have two separate test breakfasts, in a random order separated by a week.

Fasting blood samples were drawn at baseline before the test breakfast and at 30, 60, 120 and 180 minutes after breakfast. After 180 minutes, the participants were given a buffet lunch and asked to eat until satisfied.

The researchers analysed plasma glucose, insulin and appetite hormones at each time point.

It was found that men who consumed an egg-based breakfast ate significantly fewer calories when offered an unlimited lunch buffet compared to when they ate a carbohydrate-rich bagel breakfast of equal calories.

In other words, a protein-rich breakfast helped keep hunger at day. Starting the day with a high-quality protein breakfast like eggs was found to be a great tool to promote long-lasting fullness and reduced calorie consumption.

The study supports previous research, which revealed that eating eggs for breakfast as part of a reduced-calorie diet helped overweight dieters lose 65% more weight and feel more energetic than dieters who ate a bagel breakfast of equal calories and volume.

From the June 21, 2010, Prepared Foods E-dition