Health Myth Busted: Breakfast Isn't Most Important Meal

The notion that breakfast is the most important meal of the day has long been touted by health experts. But a new analysis of research finds that, like other dietary advice, our belief in the power of breakfast is based on misinterpreted and biased studies.

In a piece written for The New York Times, Aaron E. Carroll — a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine — argues that few scientifically sound studies have supported the idea of the necessity of breakfast and that much of the research backing the notion have been sponsored by food manufacturers.

“Many of the studies are funded by the food industry, which has a clear bias. Kellogg funded a highly cited article that found that cereal for breakfast is associated with being thinner,” Carroll notes.

“The Quaker Oats Center of Excellence (part of PepsiCo) financed a trial that showed that eating oatmeal or frosted cornflakes reduces weight and cholesterol (if you eat it in a highly controlled setting each weekday for four weeks).”
The upshot?

“The bottom line is that the evidence for the importance of breakfast is something of a mess,” he says. “If you’re hungry, eat it. But don’t feel bad if you’d rather skip it, and don’t listen to those who lecture you. Breakfast has no mystical powers.