past generation than the evils of the egg.

Recently, however, the taboo that in past years has made two over easy, once the foundation of a good breakfast, a forbidden indulgence for many is finally beginning to crack.

"For the majority of people, taking eggs out of the diet does nothing,'' Dr.

Robert Nicolosi, a University of Massachusetts researcher who chaired a recent American Heart Association conference on the links between diet and cholesterol, told the Associated Press.

And in truth, the cholesterol that people eat has been found to have little impact on the cholesterol in their bloodstreams.

Traditionally, eggs were demonised by health experts -- many are now saying unfairly -- because their yolks are high in cholesterol that is unquestionably bad for the heart.

The notion, however, that a regular but moderate consumption of eggs may not be as bad as has previously been thought is gaining in popularity, with many dietary experts starting to suggest that healthy folks with blood cholesterol levels under 200 milligrams per decilitre can probably eat an egg or two a day without worry, especially if they know that their HDL levels (the so-called good cholesterol) are reasonably high.

Dr. Henry Ginsberg of Columbia University gave further credence to this theory when he experimented on healthy young medical students who were on low-fat diets.

For each egg eaten during the study, Dr. Ginsberg found that the men's cholesterol rose an average three milligrams, while the women's went up four.

Of course, there are some caveats to this quiet restoration of the egg's good name.

Eggs, for example, are still not recommended for people who are sensitive to dietary cholesterol.

And they should also be avoided, experts say, by folks with a strong family history of coronary artery disease and those who already have high levels of cholesterol in their blood.

But having said that, the new egg trumpeters point out, there is considerably more to an egg than just cholesterol.

Readily available, easy to chew and digest and fixable in all sorts of interesting ways, it is also an excellent source of protein, low in fat and a good choice (at 75 calories apiece) for dieters.

Said Dr. Donald McNamara of the University of Arizona: "If your cholesterol is normal and you don't have any specific problems, I don't see the necessity for any restrictions.'' Very cautious eaters can also consume yolk-free eggs if they wish.

The dieter's dream may finally be on the horizon: an injection that destroys fat cells.

According to a report in The Times of London this week, scientists in Britain are developing an injection to treat obesity through the use of antibodies that will attack fat cells much the way these immune substances fight germs.

Dr. David Flint of the Hannah Research Institute in the Scottish town of Ayr and Dr. Chris Hentschel of the National Institute for Medical Research in London hope to begin tests which have already been applied successfully in pigs and sheep on humans in two to three years.

Under the proposed treatments, trouble spots like the buttocks or thighs could be targeted without the body losing fat elsewhere, the scientists claim.

A patient would undergo a series of slimming injections, thus eliminating the need to work out, cut back or apply so-called fat-eating preparations.

Despite the possibilities for dieters, however, humans do not appear to be the main target of the research.

After talks with US experts, the Times reported, scientists see a potential for using the injections to get pampered pets back into shape and to turn fat pigs into lean meat.