Schoolchildren More power through breakfast

Children who eat breakfast regularly in the morning are less fat and also more efficient

30.08.2012

Schoolchildren who eat breakfast regularly in the morning are more efficient in the motor spectrum than those who do not eat in the morning. In addition, children who eat breakfast in the morning are less likely to be overweight, as researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) found in a study.

Every third child does not have breakfast. Children of school age, however, are much more efficient motor, if they have breakfast in the morning, as Zurich scientists report to the Technical College. During a long-term study that has been going on for several years, the nutrition and health experts examined schoolchildren in the canton of Zurich for their sporting abilities. In this context, the participating children were also asked about their eating habits. The focus of the researchers was especially the first meal of the day.

Lower efficiency through missed meal in the morning
The study showed that children who eat almost every morning had a lower average body mass index (BMI) than peers who only eat with their parents at the weekend or almost never have breakfast. Students who had breakfast achieved significantly better results in three of the five specified motor tests. The study also showed that a child's BMI made good predictions about the results it achieved in sports motor tests such as sprinting, sideways jumping, stand-up jump, and back-and-forth stamina. "The time of day the tests were performed, regular breakfast and sex, on the other hand, could only predict a fraction of the results," explain the Swiss researchers.

Higher BMI due to bad eating habits
As the research team further reported, "Children with a higher BMI also generally have worse eating habits: they eat their lunch or dinner more often than normal-weight children in front of the TV or in their rooms." Study Director Isabelle Aeberli of Human Nutrition emphasized in summary that the " Study highlights the importance of regular breakfast for schoolchildren ". Other scientific evaluations had previously reached similar results. For example, children are more likely to experience difficulty concentrating and cognitive decline if they are sent to school without a previous meal, according to the researcher.

Several hundred schoolchildren from Winterthur aged seven to ten participated in the study. On the one hand, they completed the standardized sports tests and at the same time completed a simplified questionnaire adapted to primary school children about their eating behavior with regard to breakfast and a snack at school. For the evaluation, the social status and social background were not evaluated. The scientists are also not about to develop clues to a healthy breakfast. Thus, they have not grasped whether a "bread with honey is worse than a cereal". Nevertheless, the expert gives a personal tip: "A healthy start to the day is achieved primarily by milk and whole grains and fruits". When making breakfast, parents should refrain from high-sugared foods from the food industry like many varieties of cornflakes. These only provide a short-term performance boost and can not sustain children with the necessary energy throughout the day. Because the children then quickly get hungry again, sugary foods contribute to the formation of obesity. (Sb)

Read about Kids & Breakfast:
Structured daily routine protects against overweight
More concentration through healthy breakfast
Many children go to school without breakfast
Every third child does not have breakfast