Research suggests that there is a negative association between eating breakfast and obesity, although the research is a little contradictory. Increasingly, breakfast is being skipped as a meal but it is unclear as to the effects of this trend. Many studies point to health benefits associated with whole grain cereals such as oats, and the health benefits of black tea are well established in the scientific literature. Breakfast contains unique foods not eaten at other times and so comparisons between the diets of those who consume breakfast, and those who do not might reveal substantial dietary differences. Some evidence indicates that those who consume whole grain cereals tend to have lower overall mortality, when compared with those who eat refined breakfast cereal. Some evidence also suggests that consumption of breakfast reduced energy intakes in subsequent meals.
For example, researchers1 used a randomised crossover trial design to investigate the effects of omitting breakfast on healthy females with a mean body mass index of 23.2 kg/m2. The subjects underwent two 14 day periods of eating breakfast or omitting breakfast separated by a 2 week interval. During the eating breakfast period, subjects consumed cereal with 2 % fat milk before 0800 and a chocolate covered cookie between 1030 and 1100. In the period of omitting breakfast, subjects consumed a chocolate covered cookie between 1030 and 1100 and cereal with 2 % milk between 1200 and 1300. The subjects then consumed 4 additional meals later in the day. The results showed that energy intakes was significantly reduced in the period during eating breakfast. Omitting breakfast was associated with increased total and LDL-cholesterol levels and increase insulin response.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because physiologically it is the time when the body is most in need of energy. After an overnight fast blood sugar levels and glycogen stores tend to be lower than in the postprandial state. Because the brain uses glucose as its primary fuel source, having blood sugar levels that are not optimal can diminish concentration and result in mental fatigue. Low blood sugar can also stimulate appetite and may result in overeating during the course of the day, as was demonstrated by the increased energy intakes in those subjects who omitted breakfast in this research. Whole grain cereals such as oats make an ideal breakfast cereal because they contain high fibre and protein contents that slow the release of their energy over a number of hours.
RdB
