Eating breakfast won ’t help you lose weight, but skipping it might not either

Yet another study has dispelled the popular “you have to eat breakfast” myth, and I’m thrilled. The breakfast cereal aisle is the most nutritionally horrifying area of the supermarket, crawling with sugary carbs in all shapes and flavors, all disguised as health food. It’s true — eating breakfast is not associated with eating less nor with weight loss, which begs the question: can skipping breakfast help with weight loss? What does research tell us about eating breakfast? A plethora of intermittent fasting studies suggest that extending the overnight fast is indeed associated with weight loss, but also more importantly, with improved metabolism. Overnight fasting of at least 16 hours (which really isn’t that extended) allows blood sugar and insulin levels to decrease, so that fat stores can be used for energy. This makes physiologic and logical sense: Our bodies can’t burn fat if we keep filling it with fuel. The idea that having a meal first thing in the morning revs up the metabolism isn’t based in reality. So where did the “breakfast is good for you” myth come from? Wasn’t it based on research? Yes, but it was not the right kind of research. Observational studies produce interesting observations, and that is all. At the population level, people who regularly consume breakfast also tend to be a healthier weight. That doesn’t mean that breakfast has anything to do with it. It may be that people who regularly consume breakfast also tend to have daytime...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Diet and Weight Loss Health Nutrition Source Type: blogs