Study Finds Teens Who Start the Day with Breakfast Eat Better Overall
Older teens who ate breakfast took in more nutrients and consumed less daily fat and sugar than those who skipped it, particularly when breakfasts were high in protein
From American Society for Nutrition (ASN)
A new study of teens around age 18 who tended to skip breakfast showed that consuming breakfast increased their overall intake of important nutrients such as fiber, iron, zinc and choline.
The researchers also found that eating breakfast reduced the intake of high-fat and high-sugar foods throughout the day when compared to those who didn’t eat breakfast. Participants who consumed higher-protein breakfasts saw even stronger benefits.
“This is one of the largest and longest tightly controlled breakfast trials in adolescents,” said Emma Rose Brown, a doctoral student under the mentorship of Heather Leidy, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and the Department of Pediatrics – Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. “Our findings suggest that adding breakfast, particularly one rich in protein, may be an effective way to improve nutrient intake and diet quality among older adolescents.”
“Although most Americans think that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, there isn’t a lot of evidence to support this idea,” said Brown. “We wanted to see whether consuming a high-protein breakfast would increase nutrient intake and promote healthier eating throughout the day.”
The study included 128 adolescents who were between 14 and 21 years old and skipped breakfast at least six times a week. Participants were randomly assigned to eat either a normal-protein breakfast, a high-protein breakfast or to continue skipping breakfast.
For the groups eating breakfast, the researchers prepared and packed over 18,000 meals that included breakfast foods commonly consumed by adolescents such as burritos, quesadillas, egg scrambles and smoothies. Meals for the normal protein group contained around 15 g of protein, and meals for the high-protein group contained 30 g of high-quality protein.
The study showed consuming breakfast increased the overall intake of important nutrients such as fiber, iron, zinc and choline in teens who tended to skip breakfast. Study participants received prepacked meals, with one group consuming higher-protein breakfasts, such as the one pictured. Credit: Emma Rose Brown, University of Texas at Austin
Researchers assessed what participants ate by asking them to recall everything they consumed over a 24-hour period and by weighing the food coolers before and after consumption. Food intake was entered into nutrition software for analysis.
The researchers found that although all the groups consumed around the same amount of calories throughout the day, those eating breakfast took in more fiber, iron, zinc and choline overall. Participants in the high-protein group also consumed more protein, iron and choline compared to those in the normal protein group.
The study also showed that both groups who ate breakfast consumed fewer desserts, sweets and candy compared to participants who skipped breakfast. Additional benefits were observed with the high-protein group, who ate even less added sugar compared to the other groups.
Next, the researchers plan to look at how increasing dietary protein at breakfast might affect people’s thoughts and cravings about food, specifically in young adults and adults stopping GLP‑1 medications. A better understanding of how breakfast protein affects what people eat and how much they think about food throughout the day could help inform practical strategies that support long-term, healthy weight management.
The research team conducting the study procedures included Kamille Piacquadio, Ph.D., Charlotte Griffith, Ph.D., Morgan Braden, Ph.D. and Heather Leidy, Ph.D.
Please note that abstracts presented at NUTRITION 2026 were evaluated and selected by a committee of experts but have not generally undergone the same peer review process required for publication in a scientific journal. As such, the findings presented should be considered preliminary until a peer-reviewed publication is available.
This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health under award number NIH/NIDDK R01 DK107390.
About NUTRITION 2026
NUTRITION 2026 is the flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition and the premier educational event for nutritional professionals around the globe. NUTRITION brings together lab scientists, practicing clinicians, population health researchers and community intervention investigators to identify solutions to today’s greatest nutrition challenges. This meeting also attracts rising leaders in the field, including undergraduate, graduate and medical students. NUTRITION 2026 will be held July 25–28 in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. https://nutrition.org/meeting/ #Nutrition2026
About American Society for Nutrition (ASN)
ASN is the preeminent professional organization for nutrition research scientists and clinicians around the world. Founded in 1928, the society brings together the top nutrition researchers, medical practitioners, policy makers and industry leaders to advance knowledge and application of nutrition. ASN publishes four peer-reviewed journals and provides education and professional development opportunities to advance nutrition research, practice, and education. Since 2018, the American Society for Nutrition has presented NUTRITION, the leading global annual meeting for nutrition professionals. http://www.nutrition.org
