Sugar at breakfast may not amplify daily caloric intake
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Adults who eat a breakfast high in sugar are no more likely to go on to consume more calories during the day than adults who eat a breakfast lower in sugar, according to findings from a randomized crossover study published in Obesity.
“This study found no evidence that 3 weeks of a high-sugar porridge breakfast causes detrimental effects to fasted markers of metabolic health, dysregulates energy balance or stimulates appetite compared with an isoenergetic plain porridge breakfast,” Harriet A. Carroll, PhD, research fellow at the Rowett Institute of the University of Aberdeen, U.K., and colleagues wrote.
Carroll and colleagues assessed body weight, resting metabolic rate and participant-reported satiety at a baseline visit and 3 weeks after participants (n = 29; mean age, 33 years; 75.9% women) ate a breakfast with 30% added sugar for 3 weeks, followed by a breakfast with no added sugar for 3 weeks. The researchers also monitored daily caloric and carbohydrate intake during each 3-week period.
Participants consumed 287 g per day of carbohydrates during the 3 weeks of sugar-sweetened breakfast and 256 g per day during 3 weeks of unsweetened breakfast (P = .009). However, the researchers noted “the difference in sugar intake between conditions was solely due to the sugar given at breakfast.” In addition, participants ate 9,908 kJ per day during the 3 weeks of sugar-sweetened breakfast and 9,393 kJ per day during the 3 weeks of unsweetened breakfast, which was “no change,” according to the researchers.
“These findings appear to support public health guidelines that advise reducing breakfast sugar in order to reduce total daily sugar, since post-breakfast sugar intake was similar between conditions,” the researchers wrote. “Thus, consumption of a high-sugar breakfast did not prime participants to consume more sugar later in the day nor did it reduce intake, discordant with previous research.”
The researchers also found participants had similar levels of body mass, resting metabolic rate, satiety and physical activity energy expenditure during both breakfast phases.
“We were unable to reject the null hypothesis of no change between a sugar-sweetened and isoenergetic plain porridge breakfast over 3 weeks for fasted markers of metabolic health or most facets of appetite,” the researchers wrote. “Repeated exposure to a sweet breakfast does not appear to impact perceived control over appetite or cravings.” – by Phil Neuffer
Disclosures: Carroll reports she received conference fees from Danone Nutricia Research and a graduate research grant from the European Hydration Institute. Please see study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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