Breakfast is often said to be the most important meal of the day. It is assumed that skipping breakfast can lead to increased hunger and, therefore, overeating or extra snacking throughout the day, causing weight gain. But according to a new report, skipping breakfast might not be that big of a deal. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a report saying opting out of breakfast has little or no impact on weight gain. The report also debunks the myth that people who eat breakfast consume more calories than those who don’t.
Dr. David B. Allison, director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and his colleagues poured over the medical literature on the subject. They found the connection between eating breakfast and weight gain was only supported by one trial back in 1992. Most findings were based on observational studies that found links with weight gain and breakfast, but no direct cause and effect.
Dr. Allison also said most reports on the relationship between breakfast and weight were misconstrued. Of 72 research articles that cited data from the National Weight Control Registry, about half overstated the findings. Fifty papers cited a study from Vanderbilt University, of which 62 percent cited the findings wrong by saying that eating breakfast prevents weight gain.
This report does clear up some confusion around the actual effects of breakfast with weight and is a step in the right direction for debunking rumors. However, more specified research is needed to determine the real relationship between weight gain and breakfast.
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Sourced from: nytimes.com, Myths Surround Breakfast and Weight