Impact of breakfast skipping on subjective appetite and metabolism. An updated review

Abstract

Abeer Khalid Abdullah Alansari

Breakfast, the first meal of the day, is considered the most important meal throughout the day. Associations between breakfast skipping and much negative health impacts were described in many previous studies. This review was conducted in order to summarize the updated research findings related to the prevalence and characterization of breakfast skipping and its impact on appetite, energy intake, as well as the metabolism. According to the previous research studies, breakfast was the most commonly skipped meal more than lunch and dinner specifically in the young adult in the university study period. Lack of time was the main reason behind skipping meals, in general, and breakfast in specific, followed by lack of appetite, inability to cook, fasting/religion, and not being hungry. It was found that the irregular omission of breakfast might be effective in energy intake reduction over the next 24 hours and in this day, exercise performance may be compromised. Based on the experimental studies in adults available till now, there is no evidence on the belief that breakfast skipping induces overeating and weight gain. This review highlights the importance of time management skills to be developed early during life to avoid bad feeding habits and breakfast skip in specific. It also calls for further research studies before making conclusions concerning the influences of breakfast on the hormonal organization of appetite.