Protein-packed breakfast prevents body fat gain in overweight teens

By Nathan Gray

- Last updated on GMT

Protein-packed breakfast prevents body fat gain in overweight teens

Related tags Nutrition

A high-protein breakfast could help prevent further gains in body fat and might also reduce calorie intakes and improve blood sugar management, according to research in overweight teenagers.

The study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, compared the benefits of consuming a normal-protein breakfast to a high-protein breakfast in overweight teens who would normally skip breakfast.

Led by Heather Leidy, Ph.D from the University of Missouri, the pilot study found the high-protein breakfast - which contained 35 grams of protein - prevented gains of body fat, reduced daily food intake and feelings of hunger, and stabilised glucose levels.

"The group of teens who ate high-protein breakfasts reduced their daily food intake by 400 calories and lost body fat mass, while the groups who ate normal-protein breakfast or continued to skip breakfast gained additional body fat,"​ said Leidy. "These results show that when individuals eat a high-protein breakfast, they voluntarily consume less food the rest of the day.”

“In addition, teens who ate high-protein breakfast had more stable glucose levels than the other groups."

Study details

Despite health experts recommending breakfast as a strategy to reduce an individual's chance of obesity, little research has examined if the actual type of breakfast consumed plays a significant role in weight management, said Leidy and her team.

They fed two groups of overweight teens who reported skipping breakfast between five and seven times a week either normal-protein breakfast meals or high-protein breakfast meals. A third group of teens continued to skip breakfast for 12 weeks. The normal-protein (NP) breakfast meal was milk and cereal and contained 13 grams of protein. The high-protein (HP) breakfast meals included eggs, dairy and lean pork that contained 35 grams of protein.

Participants in the groups were instructed to report feelings of hunger and their daily intakes of food and beverages. Their body weight and body composition were measured at the beginning and end of the 12-week period.

In addition, the participants wore a device that assessed minute-to-minute glucose levels throughout the day, said Leidy – who noted that large fluctuations in glucose levels are associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes among young people, which can make health complications associated with weight gain more intense.

Analysis of the data showed that daily consumption of the high protein breakfasts tended to reduce the 24-h glucose variability and tended to reduce the time spent above the high glucose limit.

“The consumption of the HP breakfasts also reduced the 24-h maximal (peak) glucose response and reduced postprandial glucose fluctuations vs NP,”​ wrote the team.

Source: International Journal of Obesity
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1038/ijo.2015.101
“A pilot study examining the effects of consuming a high-protein vs normal-protein breakfast on free-living glycemic control in overweight/obese ‘breakfast skipping’ adolescents”
Authors: L B Bauer, et al

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