Breakfast is the best way to lose weight

That's the conclusion of a recently published study designed to determine what effects the timing and frequency of meals has on changes in body mass index (BMI).Here are some of the researchers' findings.What Seventh Day Adventists eatFor the recently published study, researchers spent seven years observing the eating habits of more than 50,000 Seventh Day Adventists, all 30 years of age or older.They gathered data about the number of meals eaten per day, length of overnight fast, whether the subjects ate breakfast, and what time they ate their largest meal of the day.Then they looked for, and grouped together, similar patterns of behavior.

After adjusting for demographic and lifestyle factors, the researchers calculated the mean changes in BMI for each group.The study's authors placed emphasis on the importance of eating breakfast."It has been shown that people who usually skip breakfast have an increased risk of obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases. Our study adds to this evidence," the authors wrote.They concluded that if you eat less often, do not snack, and make breakfast your largest meal of the day, you will likely lose more weight over the long term than if you do not adhere to those behaviors.Although this might sound like common sense, the study does validate some of the advice medical professionals offer their patients.

There are some concernsDr. David Cutler, family medicine physician at Providence Saint John's Health Center in California shared his thoughts with Healthline."This will not change what I do, but it will reinforce what I already do with my patients," said Cutler.Cutler cautioned, however, that he has some concerns about this study."The problem with the study is the very select population," said Cutler. "You're dealing with very healthy people already, and it's kind of hard to draw conclusions for the general population."Cutler pointed out that, "For example, 93 percent of the people in the study already eat breakfast. That's certainly not true of my patients."

Mindful eating"The thing you have to avoid, though, is that after you're starving, your body really craves eating lots and lots of food," said Cutler. "So what you do have to do is you have to control your dietary input, and controlling that dietary input means becoming more mindful of what you're eating."Healthline asked Cutler about dietary supplements and whether people should take them when fasting.Cutler responded, "The thing about dietary supplements is that people who are eating a good diet do not need any dietary supplements.""If you're eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day," he explained, "you're getting all the vitamins and minerals you generally need."There are some exceptions.For example, "some women should be on calcium supplements," said Cutler. "And some people, if they're not getting sun exposure should probably be getting vitamin D supplements."Cutler noted, however, that these are two minor exceptions to the general rule that is good for most people."This bottom line issue of the importance of breakfast - I've been hearing about it for the last 50 years, since I was a kid," he said

Source: Health line