A Good breakfast can aid weight loss, glucose control

You may have heard that breakfast is "the most important meal of the day," and a new study helps to support this. It found that eating a big breakfast and reducing lunch and dinner size may be key for people looking to lose weight and improve their blood glucose levels

Led by researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel, the study found that adults who were obese and had type 2 diabetes lost more weight and had better blood glucose levels after 3 months when they had a high-energy breakfast every day.

Lead study author Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz, who is a professor of medicine at Tel Aviv University, and colleagues recently presented their results at ENDO 2018, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, held in Chicago, IL.

Obesity is a leading risk factor for type 2 diabetes; excess weight makes it more difficult for the body to use insulin — the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels — effectively.

According to the Obesity Society, it is estimated that around 90 percent of adults who have type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.

In terms of treating obesity and type 2 diabetes, switching to a more healthful diet is often the first port of call. But, as Dr. Jakubowicz notes, it's not always what and how much we eat that might cause problems; it's also the time of day at which we eat.

"Our body metabolism changes throughout the day," as Dr. Jakubowicz explains. "A slice of bread consumed at breakfast leads to a lower glucose response and is less fattening than an identical slice of bread consumed in the evening."

With this in mind, Dr. Jakubowicz and colleagues sought to find out more about how the timing of food intake influences weight loss and blood glucose levels.

Bdiet led to weight loss, reduced hunger

The team randomly assigned each of the adults to two different diet groups for a total of 3 months.

One group followed the "Bdiet," and this consisted of three meals per day: a large breakfast; a medium-sized lunch; and a small evening meal. The other group followed the "6Mdiet," which consisted of six small meals spaced throughout the day, plus three snacks.

The researchers tested the subjects' blood glucose levels every 2 weeks during the study. They also used continuous glucose monitoring to measure overall glucose levels, as well as spikes in blood glucose throughout the study

The researchers found that subjects in the Bdiet group lost an average of 5 kilograms after 3 months, while those who followed the 6 Mdiet gained an average of 1.4 kilograms.

Hunger and cravings for carbohydrates also increased among subjects in the 6Mdiet group, but these reduced significantly for subjects who followed the Bdiet.