• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Eating Breakfast Daily Can Keep You Slim

Posted on: Wednesday, 5 March 2008, 00:00 CST

Scientists at University of Minnesota report that teenagers who routinely skip breakfast are on average 5 lbs. heavier than those who don’t. 

The study reinforced previous research showing people of any age who regularly eat breakfast are leaner than those who don’t. 

Interestingly, the breakfast-eaters actually consumed more calories throughout the day.  But the researchers reported the breakfast-eaters were likely to be much more active.

"It may seem counter-intuitive," said Mark Pereira, who led the research, in a BBC News report.

"But while they ate more calories, they did more to burn those off, and that may be because those who ate breakfast did not feel so lethargic.

"While it's best to go for a healthy option - a wholegrain cereal for instance - the evidence does seem to suggest that eating anything is better than eating nothing at all," he said.

The study examined 2,000 teenagers over a five year time period, and found approximately one-quarter of the group regularly missed breakfast, with the problem particularly pronounced among young women.

"It's not just a girl problem, but it is certainly more of an issue among this group," Mr. Pereira said.

"They skip breakfast because they worry about weight gain - and it's ironic that the ones who aren't worried and eat in the mornings are the ones who keep their weight down."

Tam Fry, chairman of the Child Growth Foundation at the National Obesity Forum, told BBC News the findings show just how important it is to provide a clear, consistent message to young people.

"The real problem is the profusion of messages about obesity. We need to make clear that eating regular meals is vital - and that a proper breakfast is very important.

"If you eat well first thing, you'll feel brighter, you'll have more get up and go - and that will mean you'll expend more energy," she said.

While the University of Minnesota study was performed with teenagers, prior research into the issue has shown that teenagers are not the only ones who benefit from regularly consuming breakfast.  According to a BBC News report, a study by researchers at Cambridge University in Britain involving 7,000 middle-aged people found that those who gained the least amount of weight were the ones who ate the most in the morning.

---

The University of Minnesota study was reported in the journal Pediatrics.

The full report can be viewed at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/121/3/e638.

More News in this Category