Eating breakfast helps teenagers to stay slim

American scientists say teenagers who believe cutting out breakfast will help them lose weight are deluding themselves.

The researchers say the opposite is the case and those who skip breakfast end up weighing more.

A five year study conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota found teenagers who missed breakfast weighed on average 5lbs (2.3kg) more than those who ate first thing and this was despite the fact that the breakfast-eaters consumed more calories during the course of the day.

The study of more than 2,000 teenagers found that around 25% of the group regularly missed breakfast, and the problem was more so among young women.

Dr. Mark Pereira, who led the research says it may appear ‘counter-intuitive’ 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.

Dr. Pereira says ideally a healthy option such as a wholegrain cereal is better, but the evidence suggests that eating anything is better than eating nothing at all.

The research adds to a growing body of evidence that those who eat breakfast, whether young or old are leaner than those who do not.

Experts say too many messages about obesity add to the problem and it needs to be made clear that eating regular meals is vital and breakfast is very important.

Other research also supports the findings; a French study found that men and women who ate breakfast at least 10 out of 12 days tended to have lower waist to hip ratios than those that who did not.

Another study of nearly 7,000 middle-aged adults in Norfolk also revealed that those who ate the most in the morning put the least amount of weight on overall.

Nutritionists say research indicates that eating breakfast is a crucial part of maintaining a healthy weight and the important concept is that those who eat breakfast tend to be less likely to snack on high-fat foods before the lunch period and therefore have a much healthier diet.

The study is published in the journal Pediatrics.

(Source: Pediatrics: University of Minnesota: March 2008)