This study aimed to determine whether pupils who have breakfast just before a cognitive demand, do not regularly skip breakfast, and consume a high-quality breakfast present higher cognitive performance than those who do not; furthermore, to establish differences according to their nutritional status. In this study, 1181 Chilean adolescents aged 10–14 years participated. A global cognitive score was computed through eight tasks, and the body mass index z-score (BMIz) was calculated using a growth reference for school-aged adolescents. The characteristics of breakfast were self-reported. Analyses of covariance were performed to determine differences in cognitive performance according to BMIz groups adjusted to sex, peak height velocity, physical fitness global score, and their schools. A positive association was found in adolescents’ cognitive performance when they had breakfast just before cognitive tasks, did not regularly skip breakfast, presented at least two breakfast quality components, and included dairy products. No significant differences were found between breakfast components, including cereal/bread and fruits/fruit juice. Finally, pupils who were overweight/obese who declared that they skipped breakfast regularly presented a lower cognitive performance than their normal-BMIz peers. These findings suggest that adolescents who have breakfast just prior to a cognitive demand and regularly have a high quality breakfast have better cognitive performance than those who do not. Educative nutritional strategies should be prioritized, especially in “breakfast skippers” adolescents living with overweight/obesity.

Background: the present study aimed to investigate the effects of a single nutritional preventive session previous to a critical period linked to fat gain in university students with overweightness and obesity, emulating a nutritional session of a public health system. Methods: In this single-blind randomized controlled trial, 23 students met all the criteria to be included (20.91 ± 2.52-year-old; 52.2% women) who were divided into two groups: intervention group (IG) and control group (CG). Fat mass (FM) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), physical activity by accelerometry, feeding evaluation through three questionnaires, and a set of healthy lifestyle recommendations were evaluated before and after the national holidays (NH). Results: Our findings showed that FM increased significantly in the CG, but not in the IG (CG = 428.1g; IG = 321.9g; D = 106.2g; p = 0.654 [95% CI = −379.57, 591.92]). However, no differences were found during the NH between them (Hedges’ g effect size = 0.19; p = 0.654). In addition, no statistical differences were observed between groups in feeding evaluations, the set of recommendations performed, and physical activity. Conclusion: a single preventive session before a critical period, using a similar counselling approach as used in the public health system, might not be enough to promote changes in eating and physical activity patterns and preventing fat gain in overweight/obese university students. Long-term interventions are a must.

Objetivo: Describir la variación en diversos indicadores de la composición corporal antes y después de vacaciones de fiestas patrias (VFP) en estudiantes universitarios con sobrepeso y obesidad. Métodos: Se evaluó la composición corporal a 11 estudiantes, dos veces antes (t1 y t2) y una vez posterior a VFP (t3). Se midió el peso, cintura, cadera, se calculó el índice de masa corporal (IMC) y se evaluó la masa grasa y magra segmental a través de absorciometría dual de rayos X (DEXA). Una ANOVA de medidas repetidas se utilizó para detectar cambios entre los tiempos (t1, t2 y t3). Resultados:Previo a VFP (t1-t2) se observa una disminución en la razón cintura/cadera (-4.26%; p=0.024). Posterior a las VFP (t2-t3) se aprecia un aumento significativo de la masa grasa total (+428g, p=0.019) y también una disminución en el índice musculoesquelético relativo (IMSR; -1.35%; p=0.048). No se observan cambios en indicadores antropométricos como peso e IMC. Conclusión: Las VFP se asocian a una variación desfavorable de la composición corporal en estudiantes universitarios con sobrepeso y obesidad. Considerar el peso corporal o IMC podría subvalorar el real impacto de este periodo crítico sobre la composición corporal de personas que presentan malnutrición por exceso.