I know this seems counter-intuitive, but, when a whole hockey shift of Yale doctors says so, it bears further consideration. A new report on a study of people who skip breakfast suggests that it’s worse to skip the first meal of the day than it is to have a second breakfast at Coffee time!
A study on obesity by a team of Yale University specialists has found that people who skip breakfast are more likely to be obese than those who have a second breakfast.
The study, in the online journal Pediatric Obesity, specifically looked at groups of school children who skipped breakfast, had one breakfast – either at home or at school, under the school breakfast program – or had both breakfasts. Those who skipped the first meal of the day all together were more likely yo be obese than those who did eat breakfast – even those who had both breakfasts.
Whether this pattern holds for teens or adults remains to be seen. I wonder, just off the top of my head, if it makes a positive difference that one is usually active, mentally if not physically, when they eat a second breakfast. Perhaps the body is in fuel-burning mode and the extra calories are just burned off as quickly as they are consumed. I would also think that the kind of food eaten would be a factor.
I hope a lot more research is done on these and other collateral issues. If there is a way for adults to eat more often and stay slimmer, I want to know every juicy detail!
~ Maggie J.