Research shows that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day

Research from De Montfort University Leicester (ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ) finds that skimping on breakfast is a false economy, and people who do are prone to eating carbohydrate and fat later in the day.

The study by nutrition experts at ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ found that a 50% reduction in portion size at breakfast meant that participants on average consumed 286 calories, most often from foods like cake, crisps, biscuits and bread throughout the day.

The study involved 16 UK adults recruited through Facebook, LinkedIn, and by word of mouth. The participants, none of whom were on a diet, were asked to prepare and eat breakfasts of three portion sizes - small, standard and large.

The three breakfasts were consumed on alternate days, in a randomised order, and after an overnight fast. Participants were required to abstain from snacking before lunch and to record hunger, fullness, and desire to eat.

The results show that calorie intake on small breakfast days ended up no less on average than on larger portion days, but crucially participants typically made up the calorie deficit left by the small breakfast by snacking on less healthy carbohydrate and fat heavy foods such as cake, crisps, and biscuits.

Mariasole da Boit, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science at De Montfort University, led the research team. She said: “What we saw was that total daily energy intake, not including breakfast, was significantly higher on the day when people ate the small breakfast, and that on that day participants energy intake from snacks was higher.

“Crucially, that compensatory eating on small breakfast days meant higher consumption of energy-dense snacks rich in carbohydrates and fat compared to the large breakfast days.

“These findings clearly have potential implications not only for people who are dieting, or trying to maintain a healthy weight, but also for public health policies and practice.

“These are interesting preliminary findings and more research is needed to better understand the impact of snacking when reducing breakfast portions.”

The full peer-reviewed research was published in Nutrition Bulletin and can be see .