A breakfast IS key to weight loss, says Mayo clinic research

YOU might think skipping a meal helps you lose weight – but missing out on breakfast could actually make you it put on, a study has found.

Those who never or seldom eat breakfast were more likely to be obese, according to the research, from Mayo Clinic in the US.

It found that more than a quarter of those who skipped breakfast were obese, compared to just over a tenth of those who ate it frequently.

In a year, those who never ate breakfast reported the greatest weight gain.

The authors, led by Kevin Smith at Mayo Clinic, said their findings showed ‘regular consumption of this meal is an important and independent contributor of healthy weight at all ages’.

Experts have long disagreed over breakfast’s importance, with a study from Bath University in Britain finding skipping the meal did not make people hungrier.

But the new US study, presented at the Experimental Biology conference in San Diego, looked at 347 adults. It found 26.7% of people who never ate breakfast were obese, compared to 10.9% who ate it five to seven times a week. Those who skipped it had waists an average of 3.8in larger than those who ate it five to seven times a week.

Naveed Sattar, of Glasgow University, who was not involved in the research, said missing breakfast may stop snacking later in the day – but the fact people miss breakfast could indicate a more chaotic lifestyle in which they eat less healthily. He said: ‘Eating breakfast in itself may not lead to lower weight, instead acting as a marker of lifestyle.’