Eating a big breakfast is more slimming

One wonders why.  This was a study of fat Jewish ladies and I have observed that fat Jewish ladies tend to be devoted to their coffee and cake at morning-tea time.  Perhaps the breakfasters were better able to resist cheating at morning tea time!

Dieters have long been told they should breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper.

Now scientists have confirmed the principle...and even quantified the difference it can make to your weight loss.

Researchers gave women most of their calories either at breakfast or dinner, then monitored the two groups over 12 weeks.

The researchers, from Tel Aviv University, found there were other health benefits as well. The breakfast group saw their levels of ghrelin, an appetite hormone, dramatically decrease.

And they say it's not only the food that we eat, but when we eat it that can have a big impact on our health.

So the time of day we eat impacts the way our bodies process food, says Professor Daniela Jakubowicz, of Tel Aviv University in Israel.

At the end of the study, those on the breakfast plan lost an average of 19.1lbs. But the people eating most of their calories at the end of the day lost just 7.9lbs.

The body's metabolism is governed by the circadian rhythm - the biological process that the body follows over a 24 hour cycle.

The breakfast group lost an average of 3.3in from their waistlines, compared to 1.5in for those eating a big dinner.

These results, published in the journal Obesity, indicate that proper meal timing can make an important contribution towards managing obesity and promoting an overall healthy lifestyle.

To find out the impact of meal timing on weight loss and health, Professor Jakubowicz and her fellow researchers conducted a study in which 93 obese women were randomly assigned to one of two groups.

Each consumed a moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-fat diet totalling 1,400 calories daily over three months.

The first group consumed 700 calories at breakfast, 500 at lunch, and 200 at dinner.

The second group ate a 200 calorie breakfast, 500 calorie lunch, and 700 calorie dinner. The 700 calorie breakfast and dinner included the same foods.

By the end of the study, participants in the ‘big breakfast’ group had lost an average of 17.8 pounds each, and three inches off their waist, compared to a 7.3 pounds and 1.4 inches for participants in the ‘big dinner’ group.

According to Professor Jakubowicz, those in the ‘big breakfast’ group were found to have significantly lower levels of a hunger-regulating hormone, an indication that they were more satiated and had less desire for snacking later in the day, than their counterparts in the ‘big dinner’ group.

The ‘big breakfast’ group also showed a more significant decrease in insulin, glucose, and triglyceride levels than those in the ‘big dinner’ group.

More importantly, they did not experience the high spikes in blood glucose levels that typically occur after a meal.

Peaks in blood sugar levels are considered even more harmful than sustained high blood glucose levels, leading to high blood pressure and greater strain on the heart.

The findings suggest that people should adopt a well thought-out meal schedule, in addition to proper nutrition and exercise, to optimise weight loss and general health.

Professor Jakubowicz said: ‘Eating the right foods at the wrong times can not only slow down weight loss, it can also be harmful. Our study found those in the big dinner group actually increased fat levels in their body, despite their weight loss.’

She suggests that people could improve their health significantly by cutting out late night snacking.

She said: ‘Mindless eating in front of the computer or television, especially in the late evening hours, is a huge contributor to the obesity epidemic.

‘It increases not only poundage, but the risk of cardiovascular disease - making that midnight sugar rush more costly than it appears.’

SOURCE





British "obesity" insanity again



A healthy and active five-year-old who has his own vegetable patch been branded overweight by a government initiative.

Oliver Knight completed a medical as part of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) to assess his body mass index (BMI).

Measuring 1.085m (3ft 6in), and weighing 45 lb. (20.6kg; 3 stone, 3lb), Oliver's BMI was 91, putting him in the 'overweight' category.

His mother Sharon, 40, was shocked to receive the letter, claiming her son is energetic and loves vegetables, but says she won't tell Oliver about the result because of the way it could affect him.

Mrs Knight said: 'Oliver is such a skinny little thing. I couldn't believe what I was reading.

'Firstly, I can't believe they're doing this to five-year-olds. They're still growing, and they need three meals a day.

'But Oliver eats healthily all the time - we have our own vegetable patch and he loves salad.  'The other mums at school get wound up because their children won't eat as many vegetables as he does.

'And we don't buy sweets or sugary treats, because I have an autistic son and if he eats them it doesn't do him any good.  'He needs to eat healthily, so I just don't have them in the house.'

Mrs Knight says a typical meal in the family household would be chicken, with salad and potatoes, and that Oliver has Weetabix for breakfast plus the healthy lunch the school provides.

She added: 'He exercises all the time, because we have family days out where we go walking or cycling. He's absolutely full of energy.'

Back in February, Oliver took part in a school project on healthy eating.  His mother says that when he got home, he didn't want to eat his tea or breakfast the following day because he was so scared of getting fat, and she's scared that if he sees the letter, the same thing will happen again.

Sharon said: 'There is just no way Oliver is overweight. It's concerning to think that they are saying this to people who are so young.  'They wonder why so many young people have eating disorders, and then they do this. It's really annoyed me.

'As a family, we just eat healthy meals and get out and about. I've been told not to take it to heart, but you can't say that to a child.'

According to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health UK 2-18 years growth chart, a child with a BMI above the 91st is classed as overweight, while a child above the 98th centile is clinically obese.

A Public Health England spokesman said: 'The NCMP is recognised as being fundamental to efforts to tackle childhood obesity in England. It records the height and weight of children in two age groups at state maintained schools every year. The results inform local authorities about levels of obesity in their populations.

'Parents also receive these results because they have said, through focus groups, it's important and they want to be aware of potential issues with their child's health.

'Evidence shows parents and health professionals do not always recognise overweight in children, which is why an objective measure rather than visual assessment is important.'

SOURCE