Daily breakfast consumption linked to lower obesity risk in girls

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

- Last updated on GMT

Milk alone was the most common breakfast choice among the Cypriot children included in the study
Milk alone was the most common breakfast choice among the Cypriot children included in the study

Related tags Nutrition

Girls who eat breakfast every day are less likely to be overweight than those who skip breakfast, according to a study published in The International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition.

The study, conducted by researchers in Cyprus, examined the breakfast consumption habits of 1558 children aged four to eight, and compared their body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood lipid profile and waist circumference. They found that both boys and girls who ate breakfast daily had better overall nutrient profiles, and girls who ate breakfast every day were less likely to be overweight or obese.

The study’s authors suggested that this difference between girls and boys might be explained by boys’ higher physical activity levels”,​ although they acknowledged that further research was needed to investigate this possible link.

Those children who ate ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals tended to have the best nutrient intake profiles, while those who ate pastry products for breakfast had the least favourable nutrient intake profiles, with fat intake reaching 38% of total energy.

Study author Stalo Papoutsou, dietitian and associate investigator at the Research and Educational Institute of Child Health in Cyprus, said: “We want to encourage health professionals to promote the benefits of daily breakfast consumption, and educate parents and children to make the right breakfast choices in order to ensure higher consumption of micronutrients and fibres, whilst reducing intake of sugar and fat.”

The most popular breakfast among the children was milk alone – including low fat, skimmed, full fat, plain, chocolate, flavoured or sugar added milk – which was consumed by 41.2% of boys and 39.1% of girls.

Ready-to-eat cereals were eaten by 25.6% of boys and 25.7% of girls; pastry products by 7.6% of boys and 8% of girls; and 25.6% of boys and 27.2% of girls ate other breakfast items.

Those who ate cereal had the highest fibre intakes of all the children, although low-fibre varieties tended to be the most popular. Milk and pastry consumers had a significantly lower sodium intake than cereal consumers.

Overall, just under two-thirds of children reported eating breakfast every day.

 

Source: International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition

DOI: 10.3109/09637486.2013.854750

“The combination of daily breakfast consumption and optimal breakfast choices in childhood is an important public health message”

Authors: Stalo Papoutsou, George Briassoulis, Charalambos Hadjigeorgiou, Savvas C. Savva, Tonia Solea, Antje Hebestreit, Valeria Pala, Sabina Sieri, Yiannis Kourides, Anthony Kafatos, and Michael Tornaritis

 

Related news

Show more

Related products

show more

Oat Groats – Heat-treated Oat Kernels

Oat Groats – Heat-treated Oat Kernels

Content provided by Lantmännen Biorefineries AB | 06-Dec-2023 | Product Brochure

Lantmännen offers now Oat Groats: Heat-treated oat kernels, also known as oat groats or kilned oats, undergo heat treatment to inhibit enzymes that could...

Oat Beta-glucan – Clean Label Texturizer

Oat Beta-glucan – Clean Label Texturizer

Content provided by Lantmännen Biorefineries AB | 21-Nov-2023 | White Paper

In today's health-conscious world, consumers seek transparent labels and natural ingredients.

Sweetening solutions for active nutrition

Sweetening solutions for active nutrition

Content provided by ADM: Innovation that Feeds the Future | 13-Oct-2023 | Case Study

When you add GrainSweet® Liquid Maltodextrin to your active nutrition applications you get the manufacturing efficiencies, cleaner labels and clean tastes...

Related suppliers

2 comments

Daily Breakfast Consumption long-term health effects

Posted by Szilvia Passfield,

As so many studies reported lately, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Worldwide trend in the young generation to skip breakfast. As one of the latest report showed,who is 16 right now, when they reach the 40+ age, they will develope more than likely inflamatory diseases and/or digestive system illnesses, including celeiac or gluten intolerancy. As a manufacturer and practitioner created a "breakfast system" and started a campaigne here in North America to have a healthy, special breakfast as a smoothies with quinoa, fruits...etc. My goal is to extend worldwide for the young and adult generations for prevention so many problems. The system is easy to follow, will have wide access range and this way will be more suitable and "application-friendly" even for the younger generations. Will start the education sections also for the parents to understand the underlying "danger" and the solutions.

Report abuse

Measuring healthy eating choices into adolescence

Posted by Kate Viggers,

As the children involved in the study detailed in this story grow up, they will continue to be monitored as part of the European I Family Study, which is identifying effective interventions that help families make lifestyle and food choices to support lifelong health. The I Family Study website has more information – and more stories like this!

Report abuse

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars