Should you eat or skip breakfast?

Hey there,

Breakfast is a controversial meal these days. 

Some "experts" say it's vital for preserving health and preventing weight gain while others claim skipping it entirely is the trick to staying lean and healthy.

Scientific research cuts both ways as well. 

For example, one study conducted by scientists from Harvard School of Public Health found that men who regularly skipped breakfast had a 27 percent higher risk of heart attack or death from heart disease. Another found that skipping breakfast was associated with a higher risk of weight gain. 

On the other hand, a study conducted by scientists at the University of Alabama involved an extensive review of the literature and concluded that missing breakfast has either little or no effect on weight gain. In fact, the data showed that breakfast eaters tend to consume more calories than those who skip it.

What's the deal, then? 

Does skipping breakfast make it easier or harder to lose weight or does it have no effect whatsoever? 

And what about muscle building? Does it help or hinder those of us looking to get fitter and stronger?

Let's take a closer look at the studies I just referenced and see what we can learn.

The first thing that jumps out in the Harvard research is the people who didn't eat breakfast were generally hungrier later in the day and ate more at night than those who did. 

Eating food at night isn't a problem per se, but research shows that meal skipping can lead to overeating and an increase in total overall energy intake. That is, in some people, skipping meals tends to increase calorie intake compared to eating more frequently.

Overeating leads to weight gain, of course, and as overweight people are at an increased risk of heart disease, there can be an association between skipping breakfast and an increased incidence of cardiac events and heart disease. But that doesn't mean that skipping breakfast can cause heart attacks.

How about the University of Alabama study? 

The researchers found only a handful of rigorous, well-executed studies on the effects of eating and not eating breakfast, and you have to go all the way back to 1992 to find the only long-term, carefully controlled trial that randomly assigned people to routinely eat or skip breakfast and then measured the effect on their body weight. 

In this study, which was conducted by scientists at Vanderbilt University, eating or skipping breakfast had no significant effect on weight loss. What mattered weren't breakfast habits but overall eating habits and dietary compliance, which merely confirms what metabolic researchers have been saying for decades:

If you enjoy breakfast, eat it, and if you enjoy skipping it, skip it. 

Many people like eating breakfast because they just like breakfast food. Others find that a hearty breakfast perks them up or reduces hunger levels throughout the day. 

On the other hand, just as many people prefer to skip breakfast because they aren't hungry until closer to lunch or don't like standard morning fare. 

The key is knowing what works best for you.

And what else can you add to your body composition playbook to get fitter, leaner, and stronger even faster?

I break it all down in my bestselling fitness books for men and women.

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These books have helped tens of thousands of people of all ages and circumstances build their best body ever, and they can do the same for you.

Go for it!

Mike

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