“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” The expression is used frequently. Is this actually the case? According to scientists, the answer to this question is quite interesting.
In fact, the importance given to breakfast, especially in terms of diet, is not unique to us. There are expressions like “Eat breakfast like kings, lunch like princes, dinner like the poor” in foreign communities. According to an article published in the journal Cell Metabolism, this is not the case, but breakfast is still important.
Although it seems that breakfast has no effect, it does.
Professor Alexandra Johnstone of the University of Aberdeen Rowlett Institute, who led the research, discussed the relationship between breakfast, appetite and weight loss in her study. In the study, which was conducted with 16 men and 14 women, each in the obese category, they followed a diet program in which they would consume the same amount of calories. All of these diets contained 30% protein, 35% carbohydrates, and 35% fat. It was also noted that there was no difference between the daily calorie intake. The only difference was which meal was the largest.
The diet of the participants, who were randomly divided into different groups, was replaced with the diet of another group after 4 weeks. In the meantime, the changes in the participants’ bodies were examined. Accordingly, both groups lost almost the same amount of weight. When it came to appetite control, glycemic control and body shape, the situation began to differ. Those who ate a strict breakfast declared that they felt more full throughout the day. In other words, those who have a hard breakfast do not wait for the next meal all day, they feel more energetic.
According to another result of the study, there is almost no difference between those who have a good breakfast in the morning and those who eat more in the evening. All members of the two differently fed groups lost about 3 pounds. However, the research team states that in direct proportion to the satiety of breakfast, people may feel less hungry and thus lose weight more easily. The researchers are now preparing to test this experiment in people who also opt for intermittent fasting. Scientists also state that the daily life cycle of people also has an effect on this situation.