Eating Regular Breakfast Reduces BMI in Kids

Posted March 26, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Denise Musumeci

Section: In The News, His Health, Physical Health, Lifestyle Health, His Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Diets

As children, our parents said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A recent study shows that they were right; children who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight. The research showed that the children who ate breakfast consistently have a lower Body Mass Index (BMI). Researchers are unsure as to why breakfast reduces a person’s BMI.

They found that breakfast eaters consume more carbs and fiber, get fewer calories from fat, and exercise more. Donna Spruijt-Metz, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California, thinks that eating breakfast may have influence on a child’s activity level and is analyzing the effects of breakfast on metabolism. She was not involved in this study.

Many other lifestyle factors were considered, including smoking, age, sex, race, economic status, eating habits, and weight concerns. The teens were given a questionnaire about their weight concerns. Some of the questions include: Have you ever been made fun of because of your weight? How often do you skip meals? How often did you diet within the last year? How often do you exercise?

Half of the teens ate breakfast on an irregular basis, but boys were more likely to eat it consistently. Girls who ate breakfast everyday often had higher levels of cholesterol, more fiber, and total calories than those who skip meals. However, BMI’s average 21.7 in consistent breakfast eaters, 22.5 intermittent eaters, and 23.4 in those who rarely eat breakfast. Over the course of the five-year study, BMI’s followed this same pattern. Mark A. Pereira, a co-author of the study and an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota thinks that eating breakfast reduces hunger throughout the day, which could reduce the urges to grab fast food or unhealthy, but quick snacks.

Although breakfast reduces unwanted pounds, some of the results of the study are puzzling, such as the observation that girls who eat breakfast consume more calories in a day than those who skip it. If calorie consumption is a concern, change your breakfast habits. Instead of grabbing fast-food bacon, eggs, and cheese sandwich, eat a bowl of whole-grain cereal with skim milk and fruit.

This will also reduce the amount of cholesterol consumed, since it was also found that breakfast eaters consume more cholesterol than their meal-skipping peers. Bearing in mind the effects of breakfast on BMI, don’t skip eating in the morning because you’re concerned about gaining weight. It may take some time, but after a while, there will be a healthy reduction in your BMI if you listen to your parent’s’ advice and eat breakfast. If you are a parent, a good way to get your kids in the habit of eating healthy is to sit down and eat a healthy breakfast everyday.

Research sources and for more information: [NY Times]