Random thought:
I think we've all seen the commercials with the little frosted mini wheat characters helping children perform better in school, and we all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I wonder how great it really is and if it actually does increase academic/cognitive performance?
According to the textbook we use in class, "short term fasting such as skipping breakfast, reduces the late-morning problem-solving performance of children... in general, children and adolescents who are breakfast eaters are less likely to be overweight than theirs peers who aren't." It also says that vitamin and mineral intake tends to be higher when breakfast is eaten.
A study in Germany showed that in high school students, breakfast does not improve attention span...go figure. Students said they felt better after eating breakfast...again, go figure, and eating breakfast seems to effect boys more than girls...yet again, go figure. It's not a big surprise that the moods of teenage boys improve after eating.
Apparently Norway is better at looking at this stuff because a study on 10th graders revealed that breakfast can reduce cortisol (a stress hormone), improve academic performance, and reduce mental distress. Again, these effects were seen more in boys, but they said the effect was dose-dependent. Does that mean that the bigger the breakfast, the better the grades? No, it means the more often (like more times in a week) breakfast is eaten, the more likely academic improvement will be seen. Some other benefits the Norwegians proposed were better vitamin and mineral intakes, better sleep health, reduced alcohol and cigarette abuse, and increased fiber intake which can help you poop :).
Regardless of what academia says, I have to say that breakfast is my favorite meal. I love breakfast. I am one of those people that wakes up hungry and makes breakfast for dinner, sometimes. I am even like a hobbit and have "2nd breakfast" sometimes, too. So I guess it's a good thing that breakfast really is good for you!
