Greater protein quality of an egg breakfast may be inadequate to induce satiety during weight loss, compared with a cereal breakfast of equal protein quantity

Abstract

We compared the effects of consuming egg-breakfast of superior protein quality to cereal-breakfast of similar energy density and protein quantity, but lower protein quality. Two, two-week randomised crossover clinical trials included 30 otherwise healthy women with overweight or obesity. Subjects received counselling to follow a reduced-calorie diet. Under supervision, participants consumed either breakfast for one-week then crossed over to the opposite breakfast. Experiment-1 outcome variables included post-breakfast appetite hormones, glucose and insulin, subjective markers of satiety and energy intake at lunch and dinner. In Experiment-2, an appealing food (brownies) was included in lunch. Following the breakfasts, Experiment-1 showed no significant differences in outcome variables. In Experiment-2, the egg-breakfast increased fullness (p = 0.038), but lunch-time energy intake was not different. If these findings apply to other breakfasts, it suggests that in comparing two breakfasts with similar protein quantity, the greater protein quality of a breakfast may not be adequate to induce satiety.

Keywords:

• Protein quality
• protein quantity
• satiety
• weight management
• egg protein
• food intake
• appetite hormones

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the help from the Nutrition and Metabolic Health Initiative (NMHI) of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, and Skyviews Kitchen of the Department of Hospitality and Retail Management, both, respectively, at Texas Tech University, for providing the facilities to conduct the study. The authors thank Neha Kapoor, the NMHI Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Coordinator, for all of the blood draw and related procedures.

Author contributions

N.V.D contributed to the study conception and design. All authors assisted with acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data. Y.Z. and D.B. wrote the initial draft. All authors read, critically revised and approved the final manuscript and have primary responsibility for the final content presented.

Disclosure statement

N.V.D. has received research funding and honorarium from the American Egg Board/Egg Nutrition Centre. He is a member of the International Egg Nutrition Centre Global Expert Group. M.B. has received research funding from the American Egg Board/Egg Nutrition Centre. No potential competing interest is reported by other authors.

Data availability statement

Data available on request from the authors. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, N.V.D., upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the American Egg Board/Egg Nutrition Center under Grant to NVD. The funding agency was not responsible for, or involved in the conduct of the study, including subject recruitment, study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation, as well as manuscript preparation.