Breakfast can divide people into two teams. Those who simply skip it or those who wake up ravenous in search of the nearest bowl of cereal. But is almusal really the most important meal of the day? And what happens to your body if you forget to eat it?
Experts have often said that those who eat breakfast are less likely to overeat and their metabolisms will be kick-started for the day.
But recent studies have't found any difference in weight between those who eat breakfast and those who don't. The American Heart Association found that breakfast eaters tended to have lower rates of heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. But the results weren't strong enough to suggest people who don't normally eat breakfast should start.
Once when they had skipped breakfast, once when they had three regular meals, and once when they skipped dinner. The calorie, protein, and fat breakdown on each day were kept the same.
Blood samples were collected frequently from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m., which measured hormone levels, glucose and insulin concentrations, and immune cell activity.
They found that people burnt more calories when they skipped either lunch or dinner, compared to a full eating day of three meals. But they didn't find any difference in 24-hour glucose levels, insulin secretion, or total physical activity between the three days.
However, glucose concentrations and markers of inflammation and insulin resistance were higher after lunch on breakfast-skipping days.
So what can we conclude from this? It seems like science is suggesting there isn't much of a difference. So if you want to wolf down some toast first thing or prefer just a strong black coffee to see you through until lunch, you do what tickles your pickle.
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This article originally appeared on Cosmopolitan.com/uk. Minor edits have been made by the Cosmo.ph editors.