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European study reinforces importance of eating breakfast for children's health

The message that 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day' is familiar to many of us. And now a European study of Cypriot children has revealed that choosing the right kind of breakfast each morning can have a direct impact on their weight and overall health.
The paper, published online in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, investigates the significance of breakfast food choices in child health and the association between eating breakfast and Body Mass Index (BMI), which is an indicator of healthy weight.

The analysis is based on a sample of 1558 children aged between four and eight from Pafos and Strovolos in Cyprus, and examines the relationship between breakfast consumption with children's diet quality and cardio-metabolic risk factors. The research shows that amongst girls, those who eat breakfast on a daily basis tend to have lower mean BMI scores. They are also less likely to have high cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure, regardless of their parents' BMI and their own levels of physical activity. Furthermore, amongst both boys and girls who ate breakfast regularly, breakfast cereals were found to be the most nutritious choice, compared to other breakfast alternatives. Children who consumed pastry products for breakfast had the least favourable nutrient profile.

Paper author Stalo Papoutsou, Clinical Dietician & Nutritionist and Associate Investigator at the Research and Educational Institute of Child Health in Cyprus, is keen to stress the importance of delivering public health messages to encourage good breakfast habits in children. She said: "We want to encourage health professionals to promote the benefits of daily breakfast consumption, and educate parents and children to make the right breakfast choices in order to ensure higher consumption of micronutrients and fibres, whilst reducing intake of sugar and fat."
The recently published paper - titled "The combination of daily breakfast consumption and optimal breakfast choices in childhood is an important public health message" - draws on data from the EC-funded IDEFICS Study (2006 - 2012), which is now being followed-up by the EC-funded I.Family research project (2012 - 2017). I.Family is investigating the relationship between family behaviours and children's breakfast habits, and observing changes to these habits as children move into adolescence.

Source: medicalnewstoday.com

9 comments:

  1. I never feel motivated to eat in the morning and grab a few fruits. My dad always complains as it's not enough carbs for the morning!

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  2. I absolutely hate having breakfast and if I don't have it it normally result in a very low sugar level towards lunchtime which is really unhealthy so yeah you should have breakfast.

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  3. I don't care for breakfast but did learn years ago that just 3 or 4 bites of fruit, toast, etc. helps one stay healthy longer.

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  4. My grandfather had Type A Diabetes his whole life. He lived to be 98 years old and credited that fact to his large breakfasts every morning. He barely at 2 mouthfuls for lunch or dinner but his breakfasts had at least 5 courses from fresh fruit to eggs to pancakes and bacon or sausage! (It would take nearly 2 HOURS for him to consume the entire thing!) He was never overweight and quite active, too!

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  5. I never eat breakfast...really never have. I just can't get up and eat food first thing in the morning.

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  6. This is a rather interesting article.

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  7. I don't think that forcing yourself to eat when you're not hungry (because there are many people who simply aren't hungry in the morning) can help you and your health. I do have breakfast every morning, but that's only because I get hungry.

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  8. I rarely eat breakfast because when I get up I'm not hungry. My daughter is the same way.

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  9. I need breakfast to get through the morning.

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