A well-known piece of advice is to start the day with a good breakfast. It sets both the body and combustion in motion. But in recent years, this claim has been challenged from several quarters. Now, in a new study from Scotland, researchers have investigated what a big breakfast can actually do. And if the results are to be believed, it won’t help you lose weight. – There are many myths about when and how to eat to affect health and weight. This has largely been driven by circadian rhythms. But we who study nutrition have basically wondered if this is even possible. Researcher and professor Alexandra Johnstone says so in a press release. She can now confirm that “the most important meal of the day” may not be as important as first thought. Breakfast or dinner? In this study, 30 obese but healthy people participated. Among them were 16 men and 14 women. Some of the participants were asked to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, while others were to eat a larger dinner. But very first they carried out a week where the diet and calories were balanced throughout the day. The study lasted for a total of four weeks, and the diets consisted of 30 per cent protein, 35 per cent carbohydrates and 35 per cent fat. Throughout the study, the participants’ total daily energy consumption was measured using the doubly labeled water method. The method involves participants drinking water labeled with isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen. This makes it possible to monitor calorie consumption by watching as the isotopes gradually disappear. Which diet affected the weight the most – the biggest intake at breakfast or the most calories at dinner? Hip as a jump for weight During the four weeks, the participants lost an average of three kilos each per week. The total weight loss was the same for both the breakfast and dinner eaters. This means that whether you eat most of the calories at breakfast or at dinner, it makes no difference to your burn, says the study. This surprised the researchers, who had previously thought that a large breakfast and a smaller dinner would increase the burning of calories. Instead, they found that there were no detectable differences. But there were still some advantages to eating a larger breakfast. – Those who ate a large breakfast reported that they had greater control over their appetite. They felt more full throughout the day. And it can be useful information to take with you further, says Alexandra Johnstone. She points out that there are limitations to the new study. The fact that the participants carried out the experiment in their daily lives, rather than under controlled conditions, may have had an impact. The professor from Scotland still believes that something can be learned from this, and that is that one and the same diet is not suitable for everyone. Furthermore, the researchers want to carry out a similar study among shift workers. In this way, one can better understand whether the metabolism among night workers behaves differently.
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Does a big and good breakfast contribute to weight loss? Researchers can debunk a well-known myth – news Trøndelag
