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People who eat between 15% and 30% of their daily calories during breakfast have a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, one of the pathologies that is increasing the most in the world.

This is reflected in a study in which the University of Oviedo has participated and whose results have just been published in the journal Nutrients, of maximum impact in its area of knowledge.

Metabolic syndrome occurs when at least three of the following requirements occur in the same person: obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. And diet is one of the factors that most influences the development of this syndrome.

The research now carried out reveals how a proper breakfast decreases the risk of developing this pathology. Thus, according to this study, those people who ingest it in an adequate caloric proportion are less likely to obese, high blood pressure and diabetes.

How should the daily distribution of calories be?

Current studies on nutrition, according to Cristina Lasheras Mayo, professor at the Department of Functional Biology at the University of Oviedo and one of the signatories of the work, focus not only on analyzing the influence of total food and nutrient intake but also on observing the importance of how they are distributed throughout the day.

"Many studies have concluded that breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day and that those who do not eat breakfast have more health problems. However, the relationship between breakfast size and metabolic syndrome had not been studied, explains this researcher. Most of the studies that have assessed the relationship between the composition of intake and different diseases, have focused on the effect of midday meals, dinner or night intake and few have done so at breakfast, "says Cristina Lasheras. "For this reason, we set out in this work to delve into the effect of breakfast on metabolic health," he clarifies.

The study was carried out in volunteers of the prospective study on diet, cancer and health EPIC (acronym in English of European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition), which is developed in Asturias, Granada, Murcia, Navarra, Guipúzcoa and Barcelona, with a subcohort of 3,644 people. In Asturias, the project is carried out by the Ministry of Health and the University of Oviedo.

"One of the values of the study is the large and varied cohort of people we're working with," he said.

Dietary history measurements and biochemical analysis

Each participant underwent a diet history and a blood sample was drawn. Thus, the intake of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and fiber of the total of the day and of each of the shots made was obtained.

After statistical analysis of the data, it was observed that the proportion of participants suffering from metabolic syndrome was 38% lower among those who ate between 15% and 30% of the total calories of the day at breakfast compared to those who consumed lower amounts.

The pathologies in which the greatest effect was seen were obesity, hypertension and diabetes.

Five daily intakes

Another significant result observed in this study is a tendency to eat less energy for breakfast among those individuals who make more than five intakes a day. This greater frequency of meals, perhaps due to a greater 'snacking' between meals by these people and a higher total caloric intake, is related to 23% more metabolic syndrome.

Professor Lasheras indicates that, although the type of study design is cross-sectional and, therefore, does not allow us to speak of a cause-effect relationship, experimental studies have shown that consuming the same calories first thing in the morning compared to doing it at the end of the day, leads to a better metabolic response, in addition to a greater expenditure on the thermogenesis of food.

"Thermogenesis varies depending on the time of day in which food is ingested, so that the caloric expenditure to absorb, metabolize and store nutrients from ingested food is higher in the early hours of the day than in the later hours."

Cardiometabolic Health

This situation implies a greater need for total calories and a better response to glucose, two mechanisms involved in better control of cardiometabolic health. "In addition, a good breakfast with foods that provide us with adequate calories increases the feeling of satiety and, therefore, decreases the amount of food eaten the rest of the day," says the researcher.

"In short, despite the fact that current life schedules make it difficult to attend to the biology of the person and achieve a good distribution of intake, the study reflects the need to influence the importance of making a good breakfast as a strategy to reduce metabolic syndrome" concludes Cristina Lasheras.

  • Cardiology
  • Obesity
  • Grenade
  • nutrition

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