First a bit of back story. The study was published in the British Medical Journal at the end of January. It is a review of 13 other studies that have been done in the past 28 years. And it specifically looks at the effect of eating or skipping breakfast on total calorie intake and on weight for adults living in high income countries.

What the study found was that the total calories consumed in the day was slightly higher for people who ate a breakfast compared to people who skipped it. And it also found that those who ate breakfast, were slightly heavier after the study period than those who skipped one.

So what does this mean for you and I? I mean, I love my breakfast. Should I now worry about gaining weight if I eat breakfast? 

Well, let’s take a closer look first at the weight aspect of this study. Many studies in the past found that people who regularly ate breakfast had a lower body mass index (BMI). However, you could say that in these older studies, people that ate a breakfast were also more likely to have other healthy eating habits. And perhaps they were therefore a healthier weight for their height. From those older studies you couldn’t SPECIFICALLY say that it was their breakfast that caused their weights to be healthier.

This new study looks more carefully at the effect of either skipping or eating breakfast. It found that over 7 weeks, people who ate breakfast in the studies gained an average of 440g more than those who skipped breakfast.

However, it is important to know that the research they looked at was at high risk of bias. They found that the studies available were of low quality. And therefor they recommend that all their results should be interpreted with caution.

Realistically, this research therefore does not say that eating breakfast makes you gain weight. But what we feel it does say is this. Encouraging people who don’t eat breakfast at the moment to start eating one is unlike a way to help them lose weight.

Now looking at the calorie aspect of the study. What effect does eating a breakfast have on our kcal intake?

 People used to think that by eating a good breakfast, you would be less likely to overeat later in the day. Surprisingly the study shows that this was not the case.  And so, we can be more certain now that skipping a breakfast does not mean you eat more later on in the day to “catch up”. However, the study also does not give definitive proof that skipping a breakfast allows you to eat less in the day.

But are there not important health benefits to eating a breakfast?

Indeed, it is definitely important to be aware that this study only looked at the effect of breakfast on weight loss and calorie intake. It does not look at the role it plays in the overall health of our diet.

Breakfast helps many of us to get an important portion of folate, calcium and vitamin D everyday. It may also help children to concentrate better in school and can help you to be more physically active earlier in the day.

How may this research into breakfasts change healthy eating recommendations?

A single study study rarely leads to a complete overhaul of healthy eating guidelines. I have discussed the difficulties in doing nutrition research in another post, and believe me, a lot goes into making national nutrition recommendations! However, this study does add to a growing body of evidence that tells us this:

Telling people to to eat breakfast, when they usually skip it, will unlikely help them to lose weight.

And honestly, I think the biggest take home message is this:

If you enjoy breakfast, and you feel that it helps you to get your day started with more energy – then by all means continue eating breakfast. However, there is less of a push now to start eating breakfast, if it just doesn’t suit you.