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.