Too many teens skip breakfast, according to the Center for Disease Control. The CDC estimates approximately 60 percent of young people habitually skip breakfast up to four times a week.
A study at the University of Missouri finds that eating breakfast — especially breakfast with protein — can play a role in weight management and health.
University of Missouri researchers compared the benefits of consuming a normal-protein breakfast to a high-protein breakfast and found the high-protein breakfast — which contained 35 grams of protein — prevented gains of body fat, reduced daily food intake and feelings of hunger, and stabilized glucose levels among overweight teens who would normally skip breakfast.
Heather Leidy, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the MU School of Medicine and lead author of the study, says the key to eating 35 grams of protein is to consume a combination of high-quality proteins including milk, eggs, lean meats and Greek yogurt. The study was published in the International Journal of Obesity.
"This study examined if the type of breakfast consumed can improve weight management in young people who habitually skip breakfast," said Leidy. "Generally, people establish eating behaviors during their teen years. If teens are able to develop good eating habits now, such as eating breakfast, it's likely to continue the rest of their lives."
Leidy and her colleagues fed two groups of overweight teens who reported skipping breakfast between five and seven times a week either normal-protein breakfast meals or high-protein breakfast meals. A third group of teens continued to skip breakfast for 12 weeks.
"The group of teens who ate high-protein breakfasts reduced their daily food intake by 400 calories and lost body fat mass, while the groups who ate normal-protein breakfast or continued to skip breakfast gained additional body fat," Leidy said. "These results show that when individuals eat a high-protein breakfast, they voluntarily consume less food the rest of the day. In addition, teens who ate high-protein breakfast had more stable glucose levels than the other groups."
Leidy says large fluctuations in glucose levels are associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes among young people, which can make health complications associated with weight gain more intense.
The normal-protein breakfast meal was milk and cereal and contained 13 grams of protein. The high-protein breakfast meals included eggs, dairy and lean pork that contained 35 grams of protein. Participants in the groups were instructed to report feelings of hunger and their daily intakes of food and beverages. Their body weight and body composition were measured at the beginning and end of the 12-week period. In addition, the participants wore a device that assessed minute-to-minute glucose levels throughout the day.
"Eating a protein-rich breakfast impacts the drive to eat later in the day, when people are more likely to consume high-fat or high-sugar snacks," Leidy said. "These data suggest that eating a protein-rich breakfast is one potential strategy to prevent overeating and improve diet quality by replacing unhealthy snacks with high quality breakfast foods."
Q and A
Q: Are plant based "milks" equivalent to dairy? How do I know what to choose?
A: More and more plant-based "milks" are joining the dairy aisle, but consumers should be aware that the nutrient profile of plant-based products are often quite different than that of their animal-based counterparts. Plant-based alternatives are made by grinding beans, grains or nuts and adding water and other additives. The amount of added water, vitamins, minerals and sugar determines the nutrient profile of the specific product. Calcium and vitamin D contents are typically similar between plant-based and animal-based products after fortification, but fat, protein and carbohydrate content vary depending on the type of plant-based product. In general, animal-based options have higher protein content than their plant-based counterparts. For example, 1 cup of animal-based milk on average contains 8 grams of protein compared to 6 grams in soymilk and around 1 gram in almond or coconut milk. Additionally, animal-based products are denser in essential amino acids, which are protein building-blocks that cannot be made in the human body. On average, unsweetened calcium-fortified soymilk is the most nutritionally equivalent to animal-based dairy products, so it can be a good alternative. The nutrient content of plant-based dairy counterparts can vary significantly based on their brands, manufactures and flavors. It is important to read the Nutrition Facts label and ingredient list to look for added sugars and other additives. - Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter.
Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian at Hy-Vee in Springfield, Ill., and the media representative for the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For comments or questions, contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @Nutrition Rd. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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