Find out if breakfast is really so important for our body, or is it more stereotypes imposed by the past generation. We hear from childhood that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Scientists have long argued that eating breakfast can help you control your weight and lose weight. Today, it is increasingly common to hear that breakfast can be ignored. The topic is interesting enough to figure it out. Today you will find out if there is any benefit to skipping breakfast in sports.
Health Benefits of Avoiding Breakfast in Sports: Research Findings
The first studies on the effect of breakfast on the body were carried out in the early sixties. The pioneers here were the staff of the University of Alameda County. Scientists studied the daily habits of local residents, and in addition to breakfast, it was also sleep, physical activity. They wanted to find a connection between them and their impact on human health, as well as life expectancy.
For the last ten years, scientists have approached this issue more responsibly and they have obtained quite interesting results that allow them to draw certain conclusions about the benefits of not eating breakfast in sports. So let's say, Canadian scientists have studied the habits of more than 10,000 adults. They are confident that there is no direct link between breakfast and the problem of being overweight.
A later study by American scientists proved that people skipping breakfast show similar results in losing weight compared to those. Who always has the first meal. It should be noted that breakfast is not as important a meal for Americans as it is for our fellow citizens. A survey was conducted on Twitter on the topic of breakfast and about a quarter of all respondents answered that they eat coffee or yogurt for breakfast.
Research by the NPD Group has found that many people in America today are moving away from the traditional three-meal system. This trend is especially active among millennials (the generation born in the late eighties and early nineties). This population is twice as likely to ignore breakfast as other generations.
Note that millenials also differ in their choice of foods for their first meal, preferring scrambled eggs over porridge. If you carefully study the results of numerous studies, you will not be able to find any magic in breakfast. Many people simply do not feel hungry for several hours after waking up.
If you can calmly wait for 10 or 11 o'clock in the morning, having consumed only yogurt up to this point, then there is nothing wrong with that. Some people can even stand it until lunchtime without feeling discomfort or hunger. Today, among fitness fans, the topic of intermittent fasting is actively discussed as an effective system for losing weight. There is a lot of scientific evidence that the human body is not only able to calmly withstand certain periods of fasting, but it is good for him.
Now many Western nutritionists are inclined to think that it is not the time of the first meal that is important, but the selection of products for it. When you consume large amounts of simple carbohydrates, it can negatively affect your body. The spike in insulin can lead to a build-up of fat mass and you will need to consume more calories throughout the day. If your breakfast is protein-based with added slow carbohydrates, then the situation will change. Speaking about the possible benefits of skipping breakfast in sports, you should first of all remember the importance of food choice.
Can I skip breakfast?
We have already said that in recent years the special importance of breakfast has been called into question. Moreover, criticism is heard not only from Western scientists, but also from domestic ones. According to the famous cardiac surgeon Leo Bokeria, after waking up, the body is just beginning to enter into a working rhythm and if you have a hearty breakfast at that moment, your performance will drop dramatically.
For example, famous American surgeons drink only a cup of coffee in the morning. At noon they eat a small sandwich, this meal is called lunch. They have a normal meal only in the evening after work. It should be noted that in many countries in which there are many centenarians, most often people do the following:
- breakfast is skipped;
- light snack for lunch;
- a heavy meal after returning from work.
Leo Bokeria communicates a lot with foreign colleagues and knows what he is talking about. There is no reason to question his statement. Moreover, his words are fully supported by the results of a study conducted at Cornell University. In the course of the experiment, it was found that a complete refusal to eat breakfast several times a week can speed up the processes of fat burning.
Subjects who skipped breakfast might feel hungry, but they did not eat more food throughout the day than those who did. Moreover, their daily caloric intake was 400 calories lower. According to scientists at Cornell University, the feeling of hunger that occurs in the morning can not cause an increase in the amount of food consumed throughout the day.
However, the benefits of not eating breakfast in sports can only be reaped by a healthy person. It is quite obvious that with diabetes it is necessary to adhere to a certain meal schedule and breakfast in such a situation should not be skipped. If there are no health problems, then not having the first meal right after waking up can be a great way to control body weight.
Why skip breakfast?
If you are actively involved in fitness, then you are probably used to treating breakfast as responsibly as possible. But we already know from research that the benefits of avoiding breakfast in sports can be obtained and you should reconsider your attitude to your morning meal. The importance of breakfast today continues to be asserted mainly by athletes of the old school.
Note that in the West today, the system of intermittent fasting is becoming more and more popular, according to which food must be consumed only for 8 hours, and the remaining 16 athletes are in the fasting phase. There is scientific evidence that by using intermittent fasting, you will only get healthier. First of all, this concerns a decrease in the concentration of lipoprotein compounds. However, let's get back to the topic of our conversation today and find out what benefits of skipping breakfast in sports can be obtained.
Brain activity will improve
Scientists have shown that fasting improves brain activity and boosts response. The life of our ancestors can be cited as evidence of this. Then people were forced to show high dexterity and attentiveness in order to provide themselves with food. Over millions of years of evolution, our body has adapted and during hunger, feelings are exacerbated.
Nowadays, various dietary nutrition programs have been created that improve the functioning of the brain, and its cellular structures are renewed more actively. We have already mentioned intermittent fasting more than once today. In the case of improving brain activity, this nutritional system shows maximum results. Thus, by skipping breakfast, you will not be lethargic, but, on the contrary, will make your brain wake up faster and function more actively.
Easier to diet
Many people want to lose weight, but not everyone succeeds in adhering to a diet strictly. If you have such a problem, we recommend that you skip breakfast. Today, the fractional feeding system is still popular, but many are already deciding to move away from it. This is because not everyone is satisfied with a small serving size. It is often easier to eat two or three times a day, but increase the size of one serving. By skipping breakfast, you can achieve this. Agree that if you are full, then no snacks will be needed.
There will be no hunger in the morning
Morning hunger is most often caused not by the body's need for energy, but is associated with hormones. You probably know about a substance like ghrelin. This hormone is synthesized depending on the food intake. If you have always had breakfast before, then the body is accustomed to this daily routine and synthesizes ghrelin by a certain time. If you stop eating breakfast, that after a while the feeling of hunger will disappear, as the body will rebuild.
The concentration of lipoprotein compounds decreases
Cholesterol can be a serious health problem for anyone. Many modern food products have a high energy value due to the high amount of fat in their composition. This leads to the fact that the concentration of lipoprotein compounds increases.
Cholesterol is necessary for the body, because sex hormones are synthesized from it. However, a high level of the substance is harmful and is the cause of the development of various diseases. If you use the intermittent fasting system, the body will quickly rebuild the mechanism for using fats. This nutrient will be actively used as an energy source in case of carbohydrate deficiency. Skipping breakfast can help you lower your lipoprotein levels.
Stimulates the growth of muscle tissue
Perhaps this is the main benefit of skipping breakfast in sports for athletes. We all visit the gym in order to gain muscle mass. You probably know the role of growth hormone in this process. Of course, you can use synthetic drugs, but it is better not to do this, but to increase the concentration of this substance in natural ways. Skipping breakfast will help you do this. It is known that growth hormone is an insulin antagonist.
Simply put, when the concentration of one of these hormones is high, the level of the other falls. After each meal, the body produces insulin. If you decide to skip breakfast and start practicing the intermittent fasting system, then insulin spikes will occur only three times a day, after each meal. This will allow you to maintain a high level of growth hormone for a long time.
Extend your youth
All anabolic hormones are synthesized in smaller quantities with age. This applies to both testosterone and growth hormone. The low concentration of these substances is one of the reasons for the loss of muscle mass. By skipping breakfast, you stimulate their secretion, which will allow you to stay fit even in old age.
Myths and facts about breakfast and avoiding it in the following video:
