Breakfast consumption and weight-loss maintenance: results from the MedWeight study

Abstract

Daily breakfast consumption is a common eating behaviour among people who have maintained their weight loss after weight-loss management. However, there is not a precise definition for breakfast in the literature. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential associations between breakfast consumption (based on several definitions) and weight-loss maintenance, as well as to explore differences in breakfast quality between individuals who managed to maintain part of the weight loss and in those who regained weight loss. The study sample consisted of 354 participants of the MedWeight study (age: 32 (SD 10) years, 61 % women) who had lost ≥10 % of their initial body weight and either maintained the loss for ≥1 year (maintainers, n 257) or regained weight loss (regainers, n 97). Participants completed online questionnaires and reported their dietary intake through two telephone 24-h recalls. Breakfast consumption was evaluated using twelve different definitions. The analysis indicated that breakfast consumption was associated with weight-loss maintenance only in men, when using self-reported breakfast consumption or the following breakfast definitions: (1) the first eating episode consumed at home and (2) the first eating episode consumed at home excluding caffeinated drinks. This association remained statistically significant even after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Thus, breakfast, the first eating episode of the day, when consumed at home, may be protective against weight regaining.Key words: Breakfast consumption: Meal patterns: Weight-loss maintenance: Obesity Breakfast has been widely advocated as an important part of a healthy diet and as an effective strategy for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight (1,2) . However, supporting evidence is not as strong as one may believe (3,4) . Epidemiological data have associated breakfast skipping with increased risk of obesity in both children (5) and adults (6) , and have associated breakfast consumption with reduced risk of weight gain (7) . In addition, the percentage of total energy intake consumed at breakfast is negatively associated with weight gain (8) , and daily breakfast consumption is a common behaviour among weightloss maintainers (9) . Despite these findings, results from clinical trials tend to be conflicting. A recommendation to eat or skip breakfast failed to achieve a detectable effect on weight loss in free-living adults who were attempting to lose weight (10) . However, it has been shown that high energy intake at breakfast combined with low energy intake at dinner can lead to greater weight loss as compared with the opposite pattern (11) . To add to the conflicting data, another clinical trial showed that a high-energy breakfast had no better effect on weight loss than a high-energy dinner did, but those who consumed a high-energy breakfast had better weight-loss maintenance outcomes compared with those consuming a high-energy dinner (12) .These contradictory results may be, at least partly, explained by the var...

Attenuating the Biologic Drive for Weight Regain Following Weight Loss: Must What Goes Down Always Go Back Up?

“…Note, those enrolled in the NWCR are not representative of all individuals who have attempted weight loss and who have experienced long-term maintenance, but rather are self-selected based on their success. Nevertheless, some findings from the NWCR are supported by those from the MedWeight registry in Greece, which includes both weight loss maintainers and regainers [82,83,84,85,86]. Among male registrants, weight loss maintainers were found to exhibit greater physical activity (approximately 200 kcal/day more than regainers), greater adherence to a dietary pattern emphasizing home-cooked meals, fruits, vegetables, unprocessed grains, nuts, lean proteins, low-fat dairy products, and olive oil, and lower daily intakes of salty snacks, sugary soda beverages, and alcohol.…”

Energy Balance-Related Factors Associating with Adolescent Weight Loss Intent: Evidence from the 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey

“…Refraining from consuming breakfast may yield an overall negative daily energy balance, which may lead to weight loss [29,30]. However, longitudinal observational studies have found that women who consume breakfast everyday were less likely to become obese those women who did not [31] and eating breakfast at home has been associated with the prevention of weight regaining after dieting [32]. Furthermore, consuming breakfast has also been correlated with higher levels of cognitive functioning and academic achievement in adolescents [33,34].…”

Energy Balance-Related Factors Associating with Adolescent Weight Loss Intent: Evidence from the 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey

“…Refraining from consuming breakfast may yield an overall negative daily energy balance, which may lead to weight loss (26,27). However, longitudinal observational studies have found that women who consume breakfast everyday were less likely to become obese those women who did not (28) and eating breakfast at home has been associated with the prevention of weight regaining after dieting (29). Furthermore, consuming breakfast has also been correlated with higher levels of cognitive functioning and academic achievement in adolescents (30,31).…”