Daily Breakfast helps Teens keep Strong and Slender

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, is something we have always heard but it is usually given the least importance because we want to rush to our schools, colleges and work places. Still those who manage to spare ten minutes of the busy morning for a meal are not only more likely to stay healthier than others but also, according to researchers, they can easily keep in good shape.

Researchers at the University Of Minnesota School Of Public Health have directly linked breakfast with controlling weight and fighting obesity in teens. Teenagers who eat breakfast on a daily basis are expected to stay slimmer and healthier, compared to those who skip breakfast, they said.

The study tracked the eating habits and lifestyles of 2,216 teenagers in Minnesota, over a period of five years. Most were under 15 years, at the time the study started following their habits.

The body mass index was found to be lower in teens, who habitually ate breakfast. Body mass index, or BMI is a ratio of height and weight and is considered one of the most reliable methods of checking health status in terms of weight. Those who always missed their breakfast on an average weighed about 5 pounds (2.3 kg) more than those who had it regularly.

“What we found in the study was that kids who eat breakfast frequently, and especially every day, they’re more healthy overall in terms of their lifestyle. They’re much more physically active and they have a better diet overall. So they have lower fat intake, lower cholesterol intake, higher fiber intake,” Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, leader of the study said in a telephone interview.

Previous researches have suggested that 12 to 34 percent of children and teens age 6 to 19 regularly skip breakfast.

Skipping breakfast does not help shed weight; on the contrary, it favors weight gain. The reason is simple: Breakfast helps avoid mid-day hunger pangs and initiates the metabolism of the body, which means it keeps one from munching on snacks and helps the body burn fat. In cases, where breakfast is skipped, the body gets prepared for low intake of food and the metabolism slows down which subsequently causes obesity.