Happy Holidays!
A study of over 25,000 Dutch adolescents concluded that skipping breakfast is a significant risk factor for developing obesity. Also shown as risk factors were alcohol consumption and lack of exercise. Let’s just start with breakfast….in Chinese Medicine it is said that one should “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper”. The idea being that we should have our largest meal early in the day and closer to bed should be our smallest meal. This makes sense from an energy standpoint as we need the calories to keep our energy up through the day. I often get the “…I don’t feel hungry in the morning…” argument from patients. However that is typically because they’ve eaten a large meal before bedtime. Food in the belly at bedtime does not get metabolized properly and most carbohydrates we’ve eaten are then stored as fat. Not to mention the digestion of food interferes with our sleep. For many people reversing the eating schedule so more is eaten at breakfast and lunch can do wonders for energy levels, sugar metabolism, mental outlook etc.
In this study there may be many confounding factors that play out in a chicken and egg scenario. Did the obesity develop just because they skipped breakfast? Probably not. What probably occurred is that they skipped breakfast and then ate something sugary to keep their blood sugars up so they can think in school. (The brain uses about 60% of our glucose supply at rest and upwards of 80% when thinking.) Their snack probably consisted of very little protein to support the body in maintaining proper hormonal levels and producing its own sugar supply. Then they probably ate more sugar substances such as soda, candy etc. All of this sugar is creating further imbalance and a desire of more sugar and a vicious cycle sets in where the body cries for more sugar, but what it really wants is balanced nutrition with protein, minerals and vitamins. However they’ve gone so far off the edge they cannot recognize the body’s own signals. This is all too often the case.
What about the lack of exercise? It is probably a good bet that not eating a breakfast does not provide them with enough energy for proper exercise. By the time the post-school activities come around these kids are so weighed down with the sugars and are having a major crash. Nap time.
Of course not eating breakfast probably goes hand in hand with an unhealthy lifestyle and diet which can lead to obesity. Obviously it isn’t just skipping breakfast that causes obesity. It is that actions that occur because one skips breakfast. The need for sugar as the supply gets used up during the morning hours. The researchers for this study have the dietary data collected and it would be interesting to look at the obesity in kids that report eating a more balanced lunch and do not snack on sugary substances in between. Would eating a balanced lunch with proper protein, minerals and vitamins help avoid the sugar binging and thereby obesity?
In Health,
George Mandler
Licensed Acupuncturist
Licensed Dietitian / Nutritionist
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Acupuncture Nutrition