Summary
Previous evidence has suggested that skipping breakfast is not good for health. A new review of the evidence on the nutritional benefits of the first meal of the day reveals that those who make time for breakfast have generally healthier lifestyles than those who skip it. In particular, missing breakfast to lose weight is counter-productive as those who eat a good breakfast are less likely to be obese. Breakfast is the healthiest meal of the day.

Introduction
After an overnight fast, the body needs food. But with a hectic lifestyle, many people tend to miss breakfast and eat mid-morning or at lunchtime. Previous evidence has suggested that having breakfast is a healthy idea — improving cognitive performance at school and work, for instance, and also helping people to keep to a healthy weight.

What was done
Dietitians Nedi Kaffa and Dr Katrina Campbell of the Nutritional Sciences Division of King's College London reviewed the scientific evidence on breakfast to build an up-to-date picture of the health benefits of a morning meal.

What was found
People who have a proper breakfast tend to eat less fat during the rest of the day and they are more likely to keep to a healthy weight. Those who eat breakfast cereal are less likely to eat unhealthy cakes, biscuits and sweets later on in the day. Meanwhile, those who skip breakfast are more likely to eat fatty snacks, like crisps, later on. In another study, where participants were asked to eat daily breakfast cereal, there was a 5-6% reduction in energy intake from fat among college students and a 2.5% decrease in energy from unhealthy saturated fat. There is also evidence that skipping breakfast on a regular basis is associated with a 4.5 fold increased risk of obesity. Those who eat breakfast have a healthier diet — they eat more vegetables and they are less likely to gain weight. And a study of more than 17,800 men showed that those who consumed breakfast cereals of any type regularly weighed less than those who did not. Those who ate cereal also had a better vitamin and mineral status.

What this study means
We do not know how breakfast — and breakfast cereals — exert health benefits but this could work through provision of fiber and micronutrients. There is also probably a role for the glycemic response, making for a steadier rise in blood glucose rather than the peaks and troughs caused by substituting a fatty or sugary snack for breakfast later in the day. People who make time for breakfast tend to make other healthier choices and enjoy health benefits like reduced risk of obesity. However busy you are, it's worth making the effort to have at least a bowl of cereal in the morning, according to the latest scientific evidence.

Source:
Kaffa N and Campbell K King's College London 10 June 2009 'Getting the goodness of breakfast'.