Mixed
Daily breakfast consumption (7 days/week) is associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing abdominal obesity, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension compared to infrequent consumption (0-3 days/week), independent of baseline adiposity and overall dietary quality.
If you want to lower your risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome, try eating breakfast every day. You don't need to eat a specific 'perfect' breakfast; the study suggests the frequency of eating it matters more than the specific quality of the diet. Start with small, simple breakfasts if you are not used to eating in the morning, and aim for 7 days a week to see the long-term benefits.
Relative to those with infrequent breakfast consumption (0–3 days/week), participants who reported eating breakfast daily gained 1.9 kg less weight over 18 years (P = 0.001)... The results for incidence of abdominal obesity, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension remained significant after adjustment for baseline measures of adiposity (waist circumference or BMI) in daily breakfast consumers.
Why this rating
Large, prospective, longitudinal cohort study (CARDIA) with 18-year follow-up and rigorous adjustment for confounders, though residual confounding by lifestyle factors remains a limitation.
Source
Breakfast Frequency and Development of Metabolic Risk
Andrew Odegaard et al. · Diabetes Care · 2013
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →