Private MD News

High-protein breakfasts may reduce snacking

Category: Advanced Lipid Treatment I

People who are overweight and can't seem to help snacking throughout the day should regularly get cholesterol tests and blood tests to keep their lipid profiles in check. They should also do something to help them stop snacking constantly, which is often something that is easier said than done for many people. However, researchers from the University of Missouri have recently discovered that one simple way to stop snacking is to eat a better breakfast.

Scientists found that consuming a high-protein breakfast helps people control their appetite throughout the rest of the day, and reduces the amount of unhealthy, high-fat snacks they consume in the evening.

Breakfast is key
The researchers examined 20 overweight or obese adolescent females between the ages of 18 and 20. The women said that they often skipped breakfast, which makes sense considering that the researchers pointed out that up to 60 percent of American young people consistently do not eat a morning meal. The scientists divided the girls into three groups - one that skipped breakfast, one that consumed a high-protein breakfast consisting of eggs and lean beef and another that ate cereal. Both of the breakfasts consisted of 350 calories.

The researchers found that the group that ate the high-protein breakfast had a greater feeling of "fullness" and ate less high-fat snacks throughout the rest of the day compared to the other groups.

"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," said researcher Heather Leidy, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. "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."

Why choose breakfast
This isn't the first study to highlight the benefits of breakfast. Researchers from Tel Aviv University previously found that people who consumed a 600-calorie breakfast that even included dessert lost more weight than those who ate a skimpier morning meal.

The main idea is that eating early tends to satiate the appetite throughout the day, leading to fewer impulsive binges. All of these findings should encourage people to make a little time in the morning for a good breakfast.