Regular breakfast consumption is associated with higher blood vitamin status in adolescents: the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the association between different breakfast consumption patterns and vitamin intakes and blood vitamin concentrations in European adolescents. Design: Breakfast consumption was assessed by a questionnaire. Vitamin intake was calculated from two 24 h recalls. Blood vitamin and total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations were analysed from fasting blood samples. Setting: The European Commission-funded HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study. Subjects: Participants were 1058 (52·8 % females) European adolescents (aged 12·5-17·5 years) from ten cities. Results: Lower vitamin D and vitamin C concentrations were observed in male and female breakfast skippers than in consumers (P < 0·05). Female breakfast consumers presented higher holo-transcobalamin and lower tHcy (P < 0·05), while males had higher cobalamin concentrations, compared with skippers (P < 0·05). Higher vitamin D and total folate intakes were observed in adolescents who consumed breakfast compared with skippers (P < 0·05). Likewise, female consumers had higher intakes of vitamin B 6 and vitamin E than occasional consumers (P < 0·05). Conclusions: Regular breakfast consumption is associated with higher blood vitamin D and cobalamin concentrations in males and with higher vitamin D and holo-transcobalamin and lower tHcy concentrations in females. Moreover, breakfast consumption is associated with high intakes of vitamin D and total folate in both sexes, and with high intakes of vitamin B 6 and vitamin E in females.Although breakfast is widely promoted as essential for the nutritional well-being of young people, breakfast skipping is relatively common among adolescents in developed countries (1,2) . The breakfast meal and the frequency with which it is consumed, together with genetic and environmental factors, may influence appetite, dietary intake and food choices. These factors may have important implications for body weight regulation and to prevent diseases.

Breakfast Characteristics and Its Association with Daily Micronutrients Intake in Children and Adolescents–A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…From the 33 included articles, only 3 articles (9.1%) were longitudinal versus 90.9% of the studies ( n = 30), which were cross-sectional. From the 33 included studies, 17 were performed in representative samples of the correspondent population [ 16 , 28 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ]. Table 3 shows details of the articles, which included the impact of breakfast consumption on micronutrients intake.…”

“…For instance, previous authors observed that children with obesity were more likely to skip breakfast [ 9 , 10 , 11 ], and these children had a high risk of chronic diseases as type 2 diabetes [ 12 , 13 , 14 ], dyslipidemia or cardiovascular diseases [ 7 , 8 , 15 ]. Likewise, previous authors observed that some vitamin deficiencies could be associated with fatness and other diseases, [ 16 , 17 , 18 ] and can be considered a critical public health issue [ 19 , 20 ]. Some studies also observed that in both children and adolescents, breakfast consumption has a positive effect on cognitive performance [ 21 ].…”

“…It has been suggested that children should consume about 20% of their daily energy intake (EI) at breakfast [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Different studies showed that those who often skip breakfast had lower EI and macronutrient’s intake compared with those who usually consumed breakfast [ 16 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Breakfast consumption has been associated with a better intake of vitamins and minerals in both children and adolescents [ 30 ].…”

Differences in frequency and composition of breakfast in Polish and Portuguese students

“…W 2017 r. ponownie wykazano korzyści ze spożywania śniadań. W badaniu: " HELENA Study" udowodniono, że regularne spożywanie śniadania przekładało się na wyższą koncentrację stężenia witamin we krwi [12]. Natomiast pomijanie posiłku porannego było związane z osłabieniem zdolności intelektualnych [6].…”

“…Analiza częstości spożycia produktów mięsnych w świetle zebranych danych jest trudna, ponieważ analizowano tylko posiłki konsumowane podczas choroby układu sercowo -naczyniowego czy choroby autoimmunologiczne, występujące wraz ze wzrastającym przeżywieniem znacznej części europejskiej populacji i przejmowaniem zachodniego stylu żywienia. W świetle dotychczasowej wiedzy, autorzy uznali za konieczne wprowadzenie edukacji żywieniowej mającej na celu zapoznanie studentów z zaleceniami zdrowej diety propagowanej przez liczne towarzystwa żywieniowe [1,2,7,12,14].…”