Is Skipping Breakfast Bad For Your Health? Here’s What Studies Show

At some point in your life, you probably heard your mother tell you the consequences of skipping breakfast as you rush to school or work in the mornings. Past and new studies have weighed in on the matter and determined whether eating or skipping breakfast has a huge impact on your well-being.

Breakfast Linked To Weight?

Previous studies have touched on the effects of eating or skipping breakfast on a person's body mass index. Some research materials suggested that skipping breakfast messes your metabolism, promotes the development of diseases and makes people gain weight by eating more food by the end of the day. But those studies have flaws, according to Vox.

David Allison, a researcher from the University of Alabama Birmingham, addressed the issue and cited six other trials. Referring to the studies' results, Allison said that eating or skipping breakfast doesn't affect weight gain or loss. If there's a link between breakfast and obesity, it is yet to be established by researchers.

Only one study published in 1992 by the National Center for Biotechnology Information examined the effects of eating or skipping breakfast on weight loss or gain. Moderately obese women with ages between 18 and 55 were put in a 12-week weight loss program.

The study found that women who were used to skipping breakfast shed more weight when they began to eat one. The women who always eat breakfast also lost more weight when they started skipping the morning meals.

Basically, people who changed their breakfast habits are more likely to lose weight. The studies also mean that they cannot establish conclusive findings when it comes to eating or skipping breakfast.

But it should be noted as well that people who are hungry and skip breakfast are susceptible to mid-morning cravings, often ending up eating unhealthy foods and snacks to fill their hunger. So the best recommendation is probably to eat breakfast if you feel hungry, or skip it if you don't.

Benefits Of Breakfast

Despite these findings, breakfast's effects on a person's health shouldn't be dismissed. Healthy breakfasts that contain fiber and fruit can benefit growing children and athletes.

Eating a healthy breakfast helps you avoid those mid-morning stomach rumbles. Some breakfasts that can make you feel full until lunchtime are scrambled eggs, a homemade BLT, whole oats porridge, a breakfast smoothie, buckwheat pancakes, vegetable frittata and muesli (a combination of fruits, nuts, yogurt, and high-fiber cereal), Body and Soul listed.

Experts advise people to stay away from breakfast snacks. They may be convenient for individuals rushing to school or work, but the snacks contain high amounts of excess sugar than a bowl of cereal, The Telegraph reported.