Daily consumption of a nutritious morning meal helps maintain weight control.
Going for a hearty breakfast and ditching those snack binges might be the secret to leading a healthier life and avoiding weight gain, according to a new study.
Obesity is a significant issue that many Americans struggle with, and state-led programs promoting healthy eating habits aim to prevent it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 40% of adults, and almost 20% of children in the United States are obese.
Excess weight also raises the risk of developing serious conditions, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
Research into nutrition and how our diet impacts our health is ongoing, with new discoveries being reported frequently. For instance, a recent analysis suggested that specific biomarkers could predict the effectiveness of weight loss diets.
In a new study, Dr. Hana Kahleova from Loma Linda University School of Public Health (LLUSPH), California, and her colleagues explored the link between meal frequency, meal timing, and weight gain. Their results were published in The Journal of Nutrition and will be presented at the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine in Washington, D.C., on July 29.
The researchers analyzed participants from the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2), a study monitoring the health of 96,000 Seventh-day Adventists from the U.S. and Canada. This population, according to the researchers, is at a lower risk of developing conditions like hypertension, heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.
The study focused on 50,660 adults aged 30 or older from this population and looked at the possible correlation between meal frequency, meal timing, and body mass index (BMI). The participants had various body types and sizes, and their eating habits and health outcomes were monitored for an average of 7 years.
The findings showed that eating one or two meals per day led to a decrease in BMI, while those who ate more than three meals, including snacks, experienced an increase in BMI. The researchers also found that regularly eating breakfast led to weight loss, and having a large breakfast as the main meal resulted in a significant decrease in BMI.
Additionally, skipping dinner and having a long, overnight fast contributed to weight loss. Other good eating practices, according to the researchers, include abstaining from snacks throughout the day and leaving 5 or 6 hours between breakfast and lunch.
These findings confirm previous studies on smaller population samples. The importance of breakfast to our diet and its impact on our general health have been acknowledged, but this is the first recent analysis to be conducted on such a large, unrestricted population sample.
The researchers also noted a strong link between BMI and advancing age. Participants younger than 60 tended to gain more weight, while those over 60 tended to experience a loss in BMI. This suggests that eating mindfully, particularly by eating breakfast as the main meal, could help younger individuals avoid the weight gain typical for their age group.
In summary, this new study suggests that eating a healthy breakfast and making it the main meal of the day, as well as avoiding excessive snacking and having an extended overnight fast, could be key to maintaining a healthy weight and improving overall health.
- State-led programs promoting healthy eating habits aim to prevent obesity, a significant issue affecting nearly 40% of adults and almost 20% of children in the United States.
- Eating one or two meals per day, including a nutritious breakfast as the main meal, could lead to a decrease in body mass index (BMI), according to a new study by Dr. Hana Kahleova from Loma Linda University School of Public Health.
- Regularly eating breakfast and avoiding excessive snacking may contribute to the prevention of chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer, which are associated with excess weight.
- Science and research into nutrition continue to uncover new discoveries that can help in weight management, such as the potential predictive power of specific biomarkers in weight loss diets.
- Fitness and exercise, combined with a healthy diet and suitable meal timing, are essential components of health and wellness strategies for weight management and the reduction of obesity-related medical-conditions.
- Embracing a health-conscious lifestyle that includes a balanced diet, regular exercise, mindful eating, and implements the findings from this study could lead to improved BMI, weight management, and overall health.
