A new study recommends people to eat more during breakfast if they want to lose weight and halt obesity.
A research team from Tel Aviv University in Israel recruited 93 women who are overweight and obese to participate in a three-month study between June and October 2012. They were all enrolled in a 1,400-calorie-a-day diet which is highly-recommended to those who would want to lose weight. The participants were at their mid-40s and have type 2 diabetes.
The participants were divided two groups: a breakfast (BF) group and a dinner group (D).
Women from the breakfast group calorie consumption were divided into 50 percent during breakfast, 36 percent for lunch, and 14 percent at dinner. This means that they consume 700 calories in one meal during breakfast.
Meanwhile, the dinner group was tasked to do the opposite. They had 14 percent for breakfast, 36 percent for lunch, and 50 percent for dinner.
Both groups were monitored for 12 weeks and measured every two weeks using different body and metabolic markers.
The researchers found out that the BF group lost an average of 19.1 pounds during their 12-week observation while the D group lost only about 7.9 pounds. The first group’s waistline decreased by 3.3 inches while only 1.5 was for the other group. In terms of body mass index, which is a marker for obesity, the BF group improved by 10 percent while the D group had five percent only.
Further analysis of their health revealed that the cholesterol levels of both groups were both reduced but the good cholesterol level of the BF group was far better than the D group. The appetite hormone of the BF group was also lesser than the D group which means that it is really beneficial to dig in more calories during breakfast than other meals of the day.
The study was published in the online journal Obesity.
