What can you do to lose weight? Having breakfast. And to increase the strength of the muscles? The answer is the same, having breakfast. To improve cognitive function? Having breakfast ... In short, breakfast is really the most important meal of the day, capable of keeping body weight under control, making the brain work at its best and also counteracting the risk of sarcopenia. This is what emerges from three very recent scientific researches. The first research was published in the journal Obesity by a team from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (Duan et al, Obesity, 2022), the second in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition by a Japanese group (Kim et al, Front Nutr, 2021) and the third in the journal Nutrients by scientists from Singapore (Kawabata et al, Nutrients, 2021).
How breakfast can help you lose weight
The first research investigated the correlation between breakfast and body weight. The study was based on data collected on 3915 people, all overweight or obese and with type 2 diabetes. What emerged was that, in conjunction with a healthy and active lifestyle, having breakfast is associated with a greater loss of weight. In particular, every additional day you eat breakfast leads to an additional 0.5% reduction in body weight.
Breakfast and muscle
A good breakfast should also include protein. In fact, it has been observed that, in those who eat protein in the morning, muscle strength is greater. Not only that, the greater the amount of protein consumed at breakfast compared to the total amount of protein consumed throughout the day, the greater the muscle mass. Therefore, a breakfast rich in proteins, such as those contained in yogurt, dried fruit, oats, products made with protein flours such as chickpea flour, can become an aid in the fight against sarcopenia.
Breakfast gives the brain a sprint
Not just proteins, however, a good breakfast should also contain carbohydrates and therefore energy, useful to support not only the body but also the brain. In fact, an active life that includes at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day and a breakfast that includes carbohydrates, fats and proteins, such as slices of wholegrain bread spread with hazelnut cream, has been observed to improve cognitive function in students. In fact, those who had followed this lifestyle had a better score in mathematical tests than both those who skipped breakfast and those who, despite having breakfast, led a sedentary life.
