September 8, 2022 general

My Mom was right about most things. But, she always quoted that adage “Breakfast like a king; lunch like a prince; dinner like a pauper” and I do wonder about that. Surely IHOP and Denny’s are fans of that concept, but research is casting some surprising doubt about breakfast…at least for adults.

• Skipping breakfast. I searched the PubMed.gov database for “skipping breakfast” and got a list of 1,023 journal articles going back 20 years!
  • It has been generally agreed that children perform / behave better in school if they have breakfast. An interesting study conducted in Spain concluded that “Skipping Breakfast May Increase a Child’s Risk of Psychosocial Health Problems”. Surprisingly, it not only mattered what they ate, but where…at home was best and away from home almost as bad as skipping the meal. The following takeaways are puzzling: “The findings also indicated a link between decreased behavioral issue risk and the consumption of coffee, milk, tea, chocolate, cocoa, yogurt, bread, toast, cereals, and pastries. Unexpectedly, greater chances of these problems were associated with eating eggs, cheese, and ham.” That said, I’m pretty sure that a kid who just eats only a Pop-Tart will be asleep before lunch because of low blood sugar.
  • One recent review of several studies, concluded that there was some evidence of weight loss in the breakfast skippers but on the downside, perhaps also an increase in LDL cholesterol.
  • A larger study reviewed previous studies and showed the opposite: “skipping breakfast increases the risk of overweight/obesity.” So, take your pick. Personally, I think that the lower carbohydrate (and therefore lower glycemic) choices (e.g. NOT bagels, pancakes, waffles) will have better effects on blood sugar and metabolism.
  • A 2015 study analyzed previous science and concluded: “Breakfast skipping is associated with a significantly increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes.” On the other hand, intermittent fasting discussed below has been used beneficially in place of insulin for diabetics. Study.
  • Another journal submission warned against cancer patients skipping breakfast.
  • Most all the studies noted above were ‘observational’ meaning the behaviors were reported after the fact. Meaning, subjects were not confined in a study institution with intake measured and controlled. There are surely other factors involved like feeling good enough to exercise.
• Intermittent fasting (IF). I searched that term and the PubMed database returned 136,744 results from around the world! This type of time-restricted eating typically plans 8 hours in which food is consumed and 16 hours of fasting. That could mean eating breakfast at 7 AM and not eating after 3 PM but that wouldn’t fit into most schedules. So, I’ll bet it usually becomes something more like not eating after 6 PM and waiting until 10 AM for breakfast (e.g. brunch?) or tweaks of that plan.
  • One study noted that perhaps the main health improvements come from not eating at night and the resulting improved sleep, digestion and working with the body’s clock (circadian rhythms). ‘IF’ even seems to improve the gut microbiome. (I remember when writing the The Probiotic Cure: Harnessing the Power of Good Bacteria for Better Health, that I learned our friendly bacteria also have a circadian rhythm. Just giving the gut an extended time to rest seems useful.
  • Many studies show cardiovascular benefit and weight loss (calories were not reduced).
  • Several Healthy by Nature expert guest interviews have supported the concept of intermittent fasting. Fred Pescatore’s was a recent example.
  • I think the main thing to remember is no matter when you are eating, make it real food that still contains the nutrients God gave it.
• Chocolate bar. Okay, maybe all that above was a little confusing, but this is where it gets just cray-cray. (I am not making this up!) KXAN TV in Austin, Texas reported “A new study shows some interesting findings about the impact of milk chocolate and your health. Researchers, including some from Harvard Medical School, found eating milk chocolate in the morning may help you burn fat and decrease blood sugar levels throughout the day.” Post-menopausal women were given 100 grams milk chocolate and one group was to eat it in the morning and another group to consume it in the evening. The morning group was satisfied and ate less during the day. Of course, a dietician had to take all the fun out of it by saying that more study is needed with more subjects and different ages…I guess we do. (Note. Women with PMS often crave chocolate perhaps because it is high in magnesium which is relaxing.) Naturally, I had to run my own experiment. I started putting a square of Trader Joe’s milk chocolate into my coffee. That is less than 1/3 the amount used in the study, but I did feel less drawn to carbs the rest of the day. Not scientific for sure, but fun.
• Here is the thing. There are a lot of factors, not the least of which is that everyone is different. See what works for you.