Association Between Breakfast Skipping and Body Weight – a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Longitudinal Studies

Abstract

Globally, increasing rates of obesity are one of the most important health issues. The association between breakfast skipping and body weight is contradictory between cross-sectional and interventional studies. The systematic review and meta-analyses aim to summarize this association based on observational longitudinal studies. We included prospective studies on breakfast skipping and overweight/obesity or weight change in adults. Literature was searched until September 2020 in PubMed and Web of Science. Summary RRs with a 95% CI were estimated in pairwise meta-analyses by applying a random-effects model. In total, 9 studies were included in the systematic review and 6 of them were included in the meta-analyses. The meta-analysis indicated an 13% increased RR for overweight/obesity when breakfast was skipped on ≥ 3 days per week compared to ≤ 2 days per week (95% CI: 1.06, 1.21, n=3 studies). The meta-analysis on weight change displays a 21% increased RR for weight gain for breakfast skippers compared to breakfast eaters (95% CI: 1.05, 1.40, n=2 studies). The meta-analysis on BMI change displayed no difference between breakfast skipping and eating (RR=1.02, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.05, n=2 studies). This study provides low meta-evidence for an increased risk for overweight/obesity and weight gain for breakfast skipping.

The Effect of Breakfast Skipping and Late Night Eating on Body Mass Index and Glycemic Control Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

“…The current findings are in line with a recent study published in the USA [ 12 ]. The association between breakfast skipping and BMI was discussed controversially (some found an association [ 13 ] while others found no relationship [ 14 ]). In the present survey, breakfast skipping was associated with a high BMI, in agreement with Gouda et al [ 15 ].…”

Eating architecture in adults at increased risk of type 2 diabetes: associations with body fat and glycaemic control

“…The most studied form of eating architecture in the literature is 'breakfast skipping'. Breakfast skipping is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in epidemiological studies [3][4][5][6]. Other studies suggest that skipping breakfast plus concomitant late evening meals was associated with poorer glycaemic control in patients with T2DM [7,8].…”