Breakfasts Higher in Protein Increase Postprandial Energy Metabolism in Overweight, Breakfast Skipping Women

Abstract

Early adulthood is a vulnerable time for weight gain among women. The average weight gain for women between the ages of 20 and 30 is 12‐25 lbs. A primary contributor to obesity is an increase in unhealthy eating habits, such as skipping breakfast, which is strongly associated with obesity. The objective of this pilot study was to determine if breakfast consumption and breakfast composition improve energy metabolism in overweight/obese women (ages 18‐36) who skip breakfast. Subjects were placed into one of three groups: breakfast skipping (SKP; n=4), carbohydrate (CHO; n=3) or protein (PRO; n=5) and were instructed to either continue skipping breakfast or consume a CHO or PRO breakfast for 7 days. All food was provided. On days 1 and 7 energy expenditure (EE), glucose and satiety were measured at 0, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min postprandial (pp). Consuming breakfast decreased (P < 0.01) hunger and the desire to eat and increased fullness compared to SKP. There was a trend for PRO to be more satiating than CHO. Consumption of PRO decreased (P < 0.01) the desire for sweet. There was no difference in pp glucose response between PRO and CHO. Consuming breakfast for one week increased (P < 0.05) pp energy metabolism and PRO had higher (P < 0.05) pp energy metabolism compared to CHO and SKP. There was no change in REE. Taken together, this preliminary data suggests that eating breakfast decreases pp hunger and increases pp energy metabolism compared to breakfast skipping, however the effects seem to be greater when a PRO versus a CHO breakfast is consumed. Funded by Arkansas SURF grant.