The Impact of Breakfast in Metabolic and Digestive Health

Kamada, I., Truman, L., Bold, Justine and Mortimore, Denise (2011) The Impact of Breakfast in Metabolic and Digestive Health. Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench., 4 (2). pp. 76-85. ISSN 2008-2258 Online: 2008-4234

Preview

Text breakfast 2011.pdf Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial. Download (142kB) | Preview

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study is to explore whether the types and quality of breakfast could influence energy levels
(blood glucose levels) and propose ideal breakfast models.
Background: It is widely considered that a regular breakfast provides a number of health benefits; however, there is no
general scientific agreement regarding what kind of food should be consumed. Evidence supports the importance of
balancing blood glucose levels by low glycaemic index/load (L-GI/L) and increased protein diets, in particular in
metabolic disorders, which non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has a close relation to.
Patients and methods: This study was conducted by using a valid and standard questionnaire at the University of
Worcester to evaluate the breakfast and dietary habits and energy levels. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for statistical
analysis.
Results: No significant differences were found either between breakfast consumption, energy levels, types of snack and
amount of caffeine intake in the morning or between types of breakfast, energy levels, types of snack, and amount of
caffeine intake in the morning. However, potential differences in energy levels were found across the groups of
breakfast types: glycaemia (GL) (p=.057) and protein intake (p=.056).
Conclusion: The types and quality of breakfast would be key as regular breakfast consumption alone did not show
adequate health benefits. Lower GL foods and higher protein intake at breakfast were found to be associated with higher
energy levels. It is therefore recommended that breakfast foods should be low in GL and high in protein. These changes
may lead to better health status and prevention of dise
ase, especially metabolic and liver disorders, in the long term.

Actions (login required)

View Item