Missing out on breakfast makes young adults overeat

Washington: A new study has revealed that eating protein-rich breakfast regularly can help young adults to control cravings and overeating, which sometimes ultimately leads to weight gain and other health problems.

University of Missouri found that eating breakfast, particularly meals rich in protein, increased teens' levels of a brain chemical called dopamine, associated with feelings of reward, which might reduce food cravings and overeating later in the day.

Understanding the brain chemical and its role in food cravings could lead to improvements in obesity prevention and treatment.

Dopamine levels were determined by measuring homovanillic acid (HVA), the main dopamine metabolite. Eating initiates a release of dopamine, which stimulates feelings of food reward. The reward response was an important part of eating because it helps to regulate food intake.

Heather Leidy, an assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology, said that people experience a dramatic decline in cravings for sweet foods when they eat breakfast; on the other hand, if breakfast was skipped, these cravings continue to rise throughout the day.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many teens skip breakfast, which increases their likelihood of overeating and eventual weight gain. Statistics show that the number of adolescents struggling with obesity, which elevates the risk for chronic health problems, has quadrupled in the past three decades.

The research is published in the Nutrition Journal.