New Study Says Skipping Breakfast Helps You Lose Weight (But There’s Controversy Among Health Professionals)

The world can be divided between people who wake up starving and others for whom a cup of black coffee (or sometimes nothing at all) is enough to start facing the daily battles. The first ones dream of a hotel breakfast, one of those multivariate ones, every day. The second group says they feel very good on an empty stomach in the mornings.

Morning hungry people may be surprised, but there are many people who tend to skip their first meal of the day. In the United States, for example, one in ten people do not have the habit of having breakfast. Which is no small amount: the “bouncing” Americans total around 31 million.

O awesome.club took stock of different opinions and studies and brings you these questions. After all, is breakfast really necessary and beneficial? Can I lose weight if I skip this meal? Will this make me lose weight? See the conclusions below.

A new controversy was launched by a study by Monash University in Australia. Professor of rheumatology Flavia Cicuttini led the research, which aimed to understand the relationship between weight gain or loss among people who eat or do not eat breakfast daily. According to the study, skipping coffee ensures the elimination of 260 calories and a reduction of 0.44 kg daily.

The conclusion is similar to that of another study, from the University of Illinois, in the United States, in which a group of obese people were submitted to the intermittent fasting diet, which is very fashionable and also much discussed among health professionals. The average weight loss recorded over 12 weeks was three pounds, with a reduction of 341 calories per day.

According to professionals consulted by the Brazilian magazine Saúde, a fluctuation of 0.44 kilos a day can be considered very small or even insignificant, since this type of “seesaw” is normal. We may have a more or less full intestine or have ingested more or less water, for example. This slight variation would not lead to strong evidence that skipping coffee helps with weight loss.

The Australian study also failed to debunk one of the main arguments in favor of breakfast, which is that it prevents more powerful gluttony attacks throughout the day. Flavia Cicuttini ponders that people who are not hungry in the morning can simply refrain from this meal. But will it do any good? Let’s see.

Several other studies show that the breakfast habit is important, and that it is not necessarily linked to weight gain. Skipping it can bring a series of risks. Some of the main problems are:

Weight gain: several scholars guarantee that skipping meals (not just coffee) is a trick doomed to failure. Later, feeling very hungry, we end up compensating and eating more calories in the next meal, without realizing it. Heart attack risk: a survey by the famous Harvard University, United States, points out that men who skip breakfast have 27% more risk of heart attack. The body’s hormonal change to maintain sugar levels during fasting would increase the chance of developing fatty plaques in blood vessels. Increased risk of diabetes: another Harvard study suggests that women who skip breakfast in particular are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, due to spikes in blood sugar when we eat too much after fasting. Drop in metabolism: the fasted body tends to keep the metabolism low because of calorie restriction, which would ultimately cause the accumulation of fat in the body. It would be as if the organism understood that it was receiving fewer calories and took precautions against new times of lean cows, saving energy in the form of fat.

Also, fasting in the morning can cause low energy🇧🇷 loss of concentration🇧🇷 bad breath🇧🇷 increased level of cortisol (the stress hormone)🇧🇷 tendency to inflammation and, in women, irregular menses and more uncomfortable.

Many of the products we consume for breakfast in Brazil were popularized by the food industry, which instilled in us the idea that they bring energy and promote well-being. Which is not always true. Want to have a very healthy breakfast? Opting for whole-grain versions of foods is always in order — not just in the mornings, but at any time of the day.

What to bring to your morning table:

Fruits: they are powerful, they have fibers, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. They can never miss. Favor those in season, whose nutritional potential is at its best. Homemade granola: forget conventional cereals, which tend to have a lot of sugar. The “natureba” granola, without sugar, brings more benefits and can be mixed with other beneficial foods, such as dried fruits, nuts and other oilseeds (but without exaggeration, as they are very caloric elements). Sweeten with honey. Oat: our grandparents used to eat oatmeal porridge in the morning, remember? Nothing healthier: oats have fiber, zinc, iron, magnesium and other vitamins and minerals. Gives the feeling of satiety and helps with blood sugar control. Whole grain bread: always a better option than white bread. It has more fiber and its carbohydrates are slower to absorb and do not cause sudden spikes in blood sugar. But pay attention to the labels: some brands sell “wholemeal” breads with significant amounts of sugar.

White cheeses: to declare war on fats, choose very light cheeses, such as cottage cheese, ricotta or buffalo cream cheese. They are the ideal match for wholemeal bread. Low-fat milk and yogurt: following the reasoning above, control your intake of animal fat. Prefer natural yogurt without sugar and without preservatives. Eggs: they have a lot of protein and guarantee energy to start the day. Prefer to prepare them with little or no fat – soft-boiled egg is a great option. Cocoa: again, forget the big food industry. Chocolate milk has a lot of sugar and can harm children’s health. If you want a taste of chocolate in the morning, natural cocoa powder is the way to go. Juices: run away from boxed juices, also because of the sugar. Squeezing your own fruit is always better. In fact, it’s even better to eat them unprocessed, to make the most of their fibers.

realized that butter and Margarine aren’t they needed in this good breakfast? If you can avoid them, the organism thanks you!

The Children’s Breakfast, canvas painted by Albert Anker in 1879

We can say that breakfast is an important meal and that there are risks of skipping it, as we saw above. But it is not the main one. What’s the use of eating free-range eggs, whole-wheat bread and sugar-free granola in the morning, if later we’re going to skip another meal or consume soda, hamburger and fries?

To lose weight or maintain the ideal weight, healthy eating habits and an exercise routine are essential. This is the first big step. Obesity, however, may be linked to biochemical changes in the brain, which generate hormonal dysfunctions and must be treated with the help of professionals such as the endocrinologist. Stress, for example, may be one of those responsible for making the digits on the scale go up.

Do you usually have a healthy breakfast? Or do you sometimes skip that meal? Tell us about your habits in the comments.