Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Nov;161(5):871-4.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.04.055. Epub 2012 Jun 7.

The association between skipping breakfast and biochemical variables in sedentary obese children and adolescents

Affiliations

The association between skipping breakfast and biochemical variables in sedentary obese children and adolescents

Ismael F Freitas Júnior et al. J Pediatr. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between skipping meals and biochemical variables in obese children and adolescents.

Study design: The sample was composed of 174 obese children and adolescents, aged between 6 and 16 years (80 male and 94 female). Body composition was assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, fasting blood glucose, and lipid profile were measured after 12 hours fasting. The frequency of skipping breakfast, lunch, or dinner was assessed through a face-to-face interview carried out with the parents.

Results: The prevalence of eating breakfast daily was low in boys (47.5%) and girls (44.7%). A higher frequency of eating breakfast was negatively correlated with glucose (r = -0.16; P = .026), triglycerides (r = -0.19; P = .011), and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = -0.21; P = .005). In the multivariate model, the weekly frequency of eating breakfast remained negatively associated with glucose (β = -0.975; P = .017), triglycerides (β = -7.792; P = .017), and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = -1.870; P = .009) independent of age, sex, trunk fatness, and parents' education.

Conclusion: Skipping meals, mainly breakfast, is associated with glucose and lipid levels in obese children and adolescents.

PubMed Disclaimer