Eat breakfast for adolescent weight control

A new study has found the teenage habits of skipping breakfast and filling up on fast food can cause weight gain.

Researchers found frequency of both fast food consumption and skipping breakfast increased during the five years of adolescence.

These factors were linked to weight gain; the number of overweight teens in the studied group increased from 29% to 47% during that time.

Skipping breakfast often leads to an overall increase in energy intake: hunger increases which often leads to over-eating and poor food choice.

(Other research shows the ‘reason’ given for skipping breakfast is usually ‘I don’t have time’. Our translation: ‘It’s not a priority’.)

Source: Journal of Adolescent Health, December 2006