You hear it all the time from your doctor, “be sure to eat a big breakfast!” Although there certainly are many practitioners that remain up to date on their nutritional sciences, that does not mean they are always the best source for dietary information. Only 40 medical schools even require the minimum 25 hours of nutrition science instruction recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. Knowing this, let’s look at the legitimacy of this trending belief in the health field!
Background of study
Let’s look at a research paper that aimed to test the effects of eating an early morning breakfast in a healthy adult population. This study used 13 non-overweight and relatively young (average age: 23.3) test subjects to test for any effect of early morning feeding. The study had two trial periods, the first involving 7 days of eating a 340-calorie meal balanced with sources of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. After this time experimenters took blood tests and brain scans while also using questionnaires to ask about hunger and sleep quality. The other trial period included skipping breakfast and answering the same questionnaire, and then having the same blood tests done.
Findings
The researchers found after analyzing the results of the study that breakfast eaters’ hormones and survey questionnaire responses showed significant decreases in desire to eat, hunger, and even hunger hormones like ghrelin.
Interpretation
Although at the surface this may seem to be in clear support of eating breakfast, there are some problems to address that prevent us from making the sweeping statement that everyone should eat breakfast. First off, the study only monitored 13 individuals for two weeks which is not a large enough sample size or duration to draw any real conclusion.
Conclusion
Ultimately, there does not seem to be enough research to support that already healthy individuals eating within their daily caloric limit would live longer from eating breakfast. However, there do seem to be some associations between breakfast and improved cognitive function. This is just another example of how nutrition must remain very personalized and tailored to your preferences and goals. Context is key for answering any nutrition related question! The main takeaway is that if you are not hungry in the morning, eating breakfast should not feel like something you need to do—instead find an eating schedule that works best for you.
Sources
- Jess A Gwin, Heather J Leidy, November 2018, Breakfast Consumption Augments Appetite, Eating Behavior, and Exploratory Markers of Sleep Quality Compared with Skipping Breakfast in Healthy Young Adults