Breakfast IS key to losing weight

YOU might think skipping a meal only helps to shed the pounds – but missing out on breakfast could actually make you put on weight, a study has found.

Those who never or seldom eat breakfast were more likely to be obese and gain weight, according to research.

But the latest research, from Mayo Clinic in the US, found more than a quarter of those who skipped breakfast were obese, compared with 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 Bath University study finding skipping the meal did not make people hungrier.

The US study, presented at the Experimental Biology conference in San Diego, looked at 347 adults. It found some 26.7 per cent of people who never ate breakfast were obese, compared to 10.9 per cent who ate it five to seven times a week. Those who skipped breakfast 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.’