ISLAMABAD - People who eat a big breakfast burn twice asmany calories com­pared with those who eat a larg­er dinner, according to anew study.

Over the course of three days, re­searchers evaluated 16 men who alternatedeating a low-calorie breakfast and a high-calorie din­ner and vice versa.

Eating a high-calorie breakfast was linked to lower hunger pangs and sweet cravings throughout the day.

People’s metabolisms are more active after breakfast

Over the course of three days, re­searchers evaluated 16 men who alternated eating a low-calorie breakfast and a high-calorie din­ner and vice versa.

Then, the diet-induced ther­mogenesis (DIT) — a measure of how well the body is metabolising food — was tracked in the partici­pants, as wasoverall hunger, blood glucose levels, and cravings for sweets. The researchers discov­ered that, on average, the partici­pants’ DIT was

2.5 times higher after break­fast versus after dinner, essential­ly showingthat people’s metabo­lisms are more active after their morning meal.

Additionally, eating a high-calo­rie breakfast was linked to lower hungerpangs and sweet cravings throughout the day.

Compared with a richer break­fast, a low-calorie breakfast is more likelyto cause snacking throughout the day. Plus, those who eat smallerbreakfasts tend to eat larger meals at dinner, accord­ing to theresearchers.

Skipping breakfast slows me­tabolism and causes cravings

According to the researchers, skimping out on breakfast is a commondieting practice tried by many hoping to lose weight.

But researchhas shown that peo­ple who eat less forbreakfast often snack more and overeat later in the day, derailing theirweight loss goals. Dr. MinishaSood, an endo­crinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York

City, says she sees people skip breakfast time and time again in aneffort to control their calorie in­take.

“This goes against our normal circadian rhythms, and for some with astrong morning hunger sig­nal, it can lead to overindulgence once the fastis ‘broken’ at the mid­day meal,” Sood told Healthline.

“It can also lead to overeating at dinnertime in part due to thepsy­chology of ‘making up for lost cal­ories,’ and this often backfires,”she added.

Our metabolism is greatly influ­enced by the circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle.

Sood says people are more in­sulin sensitive in the morning, whichessentially means their bod­ies need to produce less insulin to controlblood glucose levels after eating.

Eat breakfast to fuel your day

Dr. John Magaña Morton, the di­vision chief of Yale Medicine Bar­iatric

Minimally Invasive Surgery, recommends eating your bigger meals earlierin the day, especially if you are trying to lose weight.