The volunteers’ metabolism was measured with a special water, much denser than normal and which can be tracked as it leaves the body. (Credit: Playback/Pixabay)
Eating a lot for breakfast and less for dinner can help you want to lose weight by decreasing hunger, says study published in the scientific journal Cell Metabolism.
Scientists analyzed the impacts of large meals and found that people burned the same amount of calories regardless of whether they ate more for breakfast or dinner, reports the British broadcaster BBC. But their appetite was noticeably lower when they ate a lot of food first thing in the morning, which could make it easier to stick to the diet.
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The study wanted to investigate how eating was affected by the circadian cycle – the body’s internal clock. The idea was that eating at night would not be recommended because the biological clock would affect metabolism and disrupt sleep.
The research involved 30 volunteers, who, for two months, received meals of about 1,700 calories a day, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. According to the BBC, they spent a month eating a lot in the morning, equivalent to almost half those calories, followed by a smaller lunch and an even lower-calorie evening meal. The following month, participants ate a lot at night and a lot less at breakfast.
The volunteers’ metabolism was measured with a special water, much denser than normal and which can be tracked as it leaves the body.
As the British broadcaster shows, scientists have discovered that when you eat more of the day makes no difference to your metabolism, that is, it doesn’t change your calorie burn or the amount of weight you’ve lost.
The main difference was in hunger levels, which greatly reduced when participants ate a lot of calories for breakfast.
In an interview with the BBC, researcher Alexandra Johnstone, from the University of Aberdeen, UK, the lead author of the study, says that the findings can help those who need to control their weight. “Studies suggest that for appetite control, the highest-calorie breakfast is the winner. If you can start the day by eating a lot and in a healthy way, you are more likely to maintain your physical activity levels and be able to maintain control over your appetite for the rest of the day.”
The research included breakfast ingredients such as smoothies (vitamins), yogurts, eggs, sausages and mushrooms. The protein stood out because it helps people feel full.
Still, as the British broadcaster explains, it’s not clear why eating more calories early in the day can reduce appetite. The researchers say the issue goes beyond having a full belly in the morning and empty before bed.
Alexandra Johnstone tells the BBC that a possible explanation would be the link between hunger and the brain’s reward systems, which are “more attuned to the first meal of the day”.
Now, researchers are investigating what happens to night workers who eat large meals in the middle of the night, whether this can establish a relationship between food and each person’s biological clock.
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