You’ve probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but have you ever wondered why?
Meal timing can make a huge difference to metabolic health, according to a new study, and it’s another reason not to skip breakfast.
What is breakfast?
The first and main question – what is breakfast? Is it possible to consider that you miss it if you drink coffee immediately after sleeping, and only two hours later you cook yourself an omelette? Should I get out of bed and run straight to the kitchen? Or can you wait? And if so, how much? Will oatmeal at two in the afternoon count as breakfast if you sleep in until noon?
So, let’s be clear: breakfast is considered a meal within two hours of getting up. “Empty” coffee or tea will not turn a car into a pumpkin: they will not be considered breakfast, but the first products that enter the stomach. Giving up morning espresso on an empty stomach is advised by gastroenterologists and nutritionists for a completely different reason – it has a detrimental effect on the state of the gastrointestinal tract.
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What happens when breakfast becomes lunch?
In 2022, researchers from Harvard University, University of Chicago, and other academic institutions conducted a randomized controlled trial that took into account nutrient intake, physical activity, sleep, and even light exposure to determine the effect on metabolism of eating late.
How late? It was about five hours after sleep, and here’s what that meal ended up with:
- Increased feeling of hunger
- Decreased levels of leptin, the key hormone that tells us when we are full
- Reduce energy costs (in simple terms – burn calories)
- Changes in gene expression associated with increased fat deposition
In other words, eating late is the perfect breeding ground for metabolic issues. Overweight people should not postpone breakfast – this can lead to appetite disturbance and energy imbalance.
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