Cited 140 times since 2007 (7.8 per year) source: EuropePMC Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), Volume 15, Issue 10, 1 1 2007, Pages 2463-2469 A prospective study of breakfast consumption and weight gain among U.S. men. van der Heijden AA, Hu FB, Rimm EB, van Dam RM
Objective
The aim was to investigate the association between breakfast consumption and long-term weight gain in an adult male population.
Research methods and procedures
We evaluated prospective data on 20,064 U.S men, 46 to 81 years of age, who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Data on body weight, dietary factors, and lifestyle variables were obtained by validated questionnaires. We examined weight gain during 10 years of follow-up.
Results
Overall, 5,857 men had a weight gain of 5 kg or greater during 10 years of follow-up. Breakfast consumption was inversely associated with the risk of 5-kg weight gain after adjustment for age [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72 to 0.82)], and this association was independent of lifestyle and BMI at baseline [HR = 0.87 (95% CI, 0.82 to 0.93)]. Fiber and nutrient intakes partially explained the association between breakfast consumption and weight gain. The inverse association between breakfast consumption and weight gain was more pronounced in men with a baseline BMI of 25 kg/m(2) or lower [multivariate HR = 0.78 (95% CI, 0.70 to 0.87)] than in men who were overweight at baseline [HR = 0.92 (95% CI, 0.85 to 1.00)]. Furthermore, we observed that an increasing number of eating occasions in addition to three standard meals was associated with a higher risk of 5-kg weight gain [HR = 1.15 (95% CI, 1.06 to 1.25, for >or=2 vs. 0 additional eating occasions)].
Discussion
These findings suggest that the consumption of breakfast may modestly contribute to the prevention of weight gain as compared with skipping breakfast in middle-aged and older men.
