For those who are looking to lose weight, skipping breakfast is not the way to do it. Instead, you should aim to eat between 20% to 30% of your daily energy intake for the most important meal of the day.
For men, that is between 500 and 700 calories, whilst for women it is between 400 and 600.
In a study conducted by Spanish scientists, they tracked the diet and health of nearly 400 adults over the course of three years.
What they found was that those who consumed this “sweet spot” amount of energy at breakfast time had a lower body-mass index (BMI) than those who ate too little or too much for breakfast.
A full English breakfast is a meal that would provide too many calories – almost 900. However, opting for something like a bowl of porridge would be too little at just 200.
Scientists compared the diet and health metrics of 383 adults aged 55-75 at a hospital in Barcelona as part of the study which was published in The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging.
All of those who took part were obese and diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, which is a group of health problems including high blood pressure and high cholesterol that put you at risk of diabetes and heart conditions.
The patients were also part of a clinical trial where experts put them on a Mediterranean diet, high in vegetables and wholegrains, in order to try and help them lose weight.
The participants’ breakfast calorie intake was tracked at three points during the study – at the start, two years in and a concluding time after three years. Their data was collected at a number of points throughout the study.
The scientists discovered multiple results which revealed the difference between those who ate too much or too little for breakfast and those who ate the right amount.
Those who weren’t eating the correct amount had a BMI of 2% to 3.5% higher, as well as a waist size that was 2% to 4% larger. Waist circumference is used to indicate how much fat is collected around vital organs in an abdomen.
Blood test analysis also found that breakfast under-and-over eaters had higher levels of fat in their blood, which is considered a risk factor for heart disease.
The scientists explained why those eating too little had a similar outcome as those who were eating too much, suggesting that it had something to do with those eating breakfast feeling fuller during the day and, therefore, eating fewer calories overall as a result of less snacking.
Professor Álvaro Hernáez, an author of the study and health sciences expert at Ramon Llull University, said: “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but what and how you eat it. matter.
“Eating controlled amounts – not too much or too little and nursing good nutritional composition is crucial.
“Our data show that quality is associated with better cardiovascular risk factor outcomes. It’s as important to have breakfast as it is to have a quality one.”
The scientists did acknowledge some limitations to the study, including the fact that it was all observational and the data on breakfasts was collected by questioning participants, which meant the information relied on their recollection and honesty.