High Protein Breakfast Prevents Body Fat, Curbs Hunger: Study

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It looks like there is another reason to promote eating breakfast especially in teenagers because a new study has confirmed that consuming a high-protein breakfast can prevent body fat gain in overweight teens.

Science Daily writes that according to a trial conducted at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, when the team has compared a breakfast meal with normal-protein to a high-protein content, there has been a significant reduction in food consumption throughout the day.

Almost 60 percent of teenagers are prone to not eating breakfast up to four times in a week, and although nutrition experts say that eating breakfast can be a weight management strategy, there are little or no studies to actually prove or state what type of breakfast will be best for weight loss.

Lead author Heather Leidy, PhD concluded that eating a high-protein breakfast can help teens and young adults to voluntarily reduce their food intake throughout the day. Furthermore, the team has discovered that the blood glucose of the participants in the second group has maintained its level, leading to a more stable condition.

The team has been able to draw the conclusion by testing three groups of teens who are overweight and are said to be habitually skipping meals, The New Indian Express reports. The team has asked the first group to consume a normal-protein breakfast while the second group has been tasked to eat a high-protein breakfast. The last group has been left on their own, wherein the participants have continued to skip breakfast.

The results show that the participants who have consumed the high-protein breakfast have been able to decrease their intake to 400 calories while the participants in other groups have gained weight instead. Additionally, the second group has also lost a significant amount of body fat.

The Times of India writes that according to Leidy, in order to achieve the 35-gram protein requirement, a combination of high-quality protein-rich foods like eggs, lean meat, Greek yoghurt and nuts can be eaten.

She added that as this study has been done to check if teens who skip meals will have an improved weight when the type of meal has been changed. This could be helpful as the teens mature because eating habits are established during this stage in life.

The study has been published in the International Journal of Obesity.