According to a new study, the composition of your breakfast could influence your cognitive functions throughout the day. Our advice for choosing what you put on your plate in the morning!
Is breakfast the most important meal of the day? On this point, scientific evidence is sometimes contradictory. On the other hand, what seems to be emerging today is that the type of breakfast you eat can influence the rest of your day and affect your cognitive functions. A new Danish study has just demonstrated the beneficial effects of a protein-rich breakfast on the feeling of satiety and concentration.
Skyr and oat milk increase concentration
The study followed 30 obese women aged 18 to 30 for three days, during which the women consumed a high-protein breakfast, a high-carbohydrate breakfast, or no breakfast at all. Three measurements were made:
- The women’s feelings of fullness, hormone levels and energy intake were measured at lunchtime;
- Their total daily energy intake was also measured;
- Participants were also required to take a cognitive concentration test during the study.
“We have found that a high protein breakfast with you shy away (a sour milk product) and oats increased satiety and concentration in participants, but it did not reduce overall energy intake compared to skipping breakfast or eating breakfast high-carb lunchsays Mette Hansen, associate professor and doctor in the Department of Public Health and one of the authors of the study.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Protein-rich breakfast, a weapon against obesity?
The search for the perfect breakfast also has another goal: to identify the one that would fight against overweight and obesity which are increasing all over the world.
Previous studies have shown that people who eat breakfast have a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who do not eat breakfast, and foods high in protein have generally been shown to have an increased satiety effect compared to high-carbohydrate and high-fat foods of the same caloric value. This study therefore confirms this point. However, researchers say that just eating a protein-rich breakfast isn’t enough to keep weight off. It is also important to better understand how to eat a balanced diet and engage in physical activity.
However, additional studies remain to be carried out due to the participating sample (only around thirty overweight young women) and short-term observations. But according to Mette Hansen, the results of this study confirm the benefits of a protein-rich breakfast and could lead to the development of more targeted nutritional recommendations in the future.
Slide: 10 anti-fatigue breakfast ideas
