Children Who Skip Breakfast Feel Hungrier But Do Not Eat More At Lunch

A study at the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine shows that children who skip breakfast feel hungrier and less full and think they could eat more before lunch, but do not actually do so. The study compared the effects of eating and not eating breakfast on the appetite of 8- to 10-year old children and also their energy intake in the meals that followed. The 21 children who participated in two test visits were either served breakfast or not and then allowed to eat as much as they wanted during lunch. The children rated their appetite throughout the morning, while parents recorded their food intake for the rest of the day.