A new Danish study investigated the relationship between nutrition and cognitive function and found that a protein-rich breakfast improves satiety and concentration.
Researchers say this is crucial knowledge in a culture where obesity rates and lifestyle-related diseases are on the rise.
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” This is a well-worn cliché and doesn't have much scientific basis. But a new study from Denmark has added new fuel to the old cliché by investigating how different types of breakfast affect satiety and concentration.
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The study followed 30 obese women aged 18 to 30 for three days, during which they ate a protein-rich breakfast, a carbohydrate-rich breakfast, or no breakfast at all. Women's satiety, hormone levels, and energy intake were measured at lunch. Total daily energy intake was also measured.
Participants were also required to complete a cognitive concentration test during the study.
“A protein-rich breakfast made with Skyle and oats made participants feel fuller and more alert, but skipping breakfast or eating a carbohydrate-rich breakfast made participants feel fuller and more focused. Comparatively, overall energy intake was not reduced,” says Mette Hansen, PhD, associate professor and PhD at the Department of Public Health and one of the study's authors.
The number of overweight people is increasing in Denmark and all over the world. Obesity is often accompanied by lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
Previous studies have shown that people who eat breakfast have a lower BMI than those who don't eat breakfast, and that protein-rich foods generally have lower BMIs than carbohydrate-rich and high-fat foods with the same number of calories. It has been shown to increase satiety. content.
Therefore, the idea was to test whether a protein-rich breakfast could be a good strategy for increasing satiety during the day and reducing daily caloric intake.
But the solution is not so simple, Mette Hansen said. “These results confirm that a protein-rich diet is beneficial in terms of increasing satiety and preventing weight gain. However, the results also demonstrate that for this nutritional strategy to be effective, Eating a protein-rich breakfast is not enough.”
The potential of replacing carbohydrate-rich meals with protein-rich meals is clearly seen in the satiety effects measured in studies.
Some of the subjects had difficulty eating the entire protein-rich breakfast of skyr and oats.
“It is interesting to see such a large difference in the satiety effects of two different meals with the same amount of calories. If the women in the project had been able to choose their own meal sizes, perhaps they would have been more satisfied. You would have consumed the same amount of food.'' On days when bread and jam were given, people ate more food and therefore more calories than on days when they were given skier and oats. ,” explained Mette Hansen.
According to the researchers, the study provided important insights, but was also limited by the fact that only overweight young women participated in the study. The study was also based on relatively short-term observations, leaving open the question of how long-term dietary changes affect health and weight.
Therefore, Mette Hansen noted, this study highlights the need for further research to understand how different types of foods affect health over time.
“New data is already coming in from trials where participants ate either a high-protein breakfast or a low-protein breakfast. The aim is to find out whether different types of breakfast can affect body composition, microbiome and cholesterol levels. The aim was to study how it affects other parameters such as levels,” said Mette Hansen.
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