Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?

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1. 1

   Circadian nutrition and obesity: timing as a nutritional strategy.

   Journal of health, population, and nutrition (Alum)Published Oct 17, 2025Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Importantly, emerging evidence from animal models with isocaloric controls suggests that these benefits are not solely due to reduced caloric intake but also reflect independent effects of aligning food intake with circadian rhythms. Consuming a higher proportion of energy earlier in the day, with potentially more favorable distributions of carbohydrates, protein, and micronutrients, avoiding late-night eating, and practicing time-restricted feeding have been associated with improvements in insulin sensitivity, weight regulation, and cardiometabolic health. Disruptions in circadian rhythms, as seen in shift workers or individuals with irregular eating schedules, contribute to metabolic dysregulation and obesity risk.ConclusionCircadian-aligned eating may offer a feasible adjunct to standard dietary strategies, but effect sizes remain uncertain given that much of the literature comprises small, short-term, heterogeneous trials. Larger, longer, and more diverse RCTs and pragmatic studies are needed to establish durability, clinical significance, and population-specific guidance.”

2. 2

   Perceptions, Barriers, and Breakfast Consumption Habits Among University Students in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study.

   Cureus (Aljanabi et al.)Published Aug 28, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Medical students were significantly more likely to skip breakfast than non-medical students (38.2% vs. 25.2%, p = 0.005), mainly due to limited time and busy morning schedules. Both groups showed similar patterns in breakfast consumption frequency. Moreover, students who ate breakfast frequently (six to seven days per week) reported higher energy levels compared to those who ate breakfast less often. In our sample, BMI showed no significant relationship with breakfast consumption. While students from different majors demonstrated similar levels of knowledge, those who regularly ate breakfast exhibited better knowledge and more positive attitudes toward it. Finally, the findings indicated that greater knowledge about breakfast was associated with a more positive attitude. The findings showed that breakfast skipping was more common among medical students than non-medical students and that more frequent breakfast consumption was associated with higher self-reported energy levels. Breakfast consumption was not significantly associated with BMI in this sample. Regular breakfast consumption was also associated with higher knowledge and more positive attitudes toward breakfast.”

3. 3

   Association Between Physical Activity and Breakfast Skipping Among Saudi Adolescents: A Multi-City Analysis of the 2019 Global School-Based Student Health Survey.

   Children (Basel, Switzerland) (Alaqil & Alkhraiji)Published Sep 4, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “The final analytic sample (N = 5431) had a mean age of 13.71 years (standard deviation (SD) 1.13) and was 54.6% female. Breakfast-skipping prevalence was 18.7%. Each additional physically active day was associated with 10% lower odds of breakfast skipping (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86-0.93, p 2(2) = 2.70, p = 0.259). Physical activity frequency was independently and robustly associated with lower breakfast skipping among Saudi adolescents, irrespective of sex or age, extending single-city evidence to a larger and more diverse population. School-based strategies that jointly promote physical activity and breakfast consumption may not require tailoring by sex or age, although this study did not evaluate intervention effectiveness, and this inference should be confirmed prospectively; city-l…”

4. 4

   Protein or Amino Acid Intake at Breakfast for Muscle Mass Gain in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

   Food science & nutrition (Ikeda et al.)Published Jul 24, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “A trained librarian developed comprehensive search strategies for MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Two reviewers independently screened the studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias using Cochrane's RoB tool 1.0. Standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated using Review Manager. Seven RCTs involving 305 participants were included. Five studies (n = 181) reported lean mass with an SMD of -0.11 (95% CI, -0.41 to 0.18). Six studies (n = 274) measured grip strength (SMD -0.01; 95% CI, -0.25 to 0.23). Three studies (n = 157) evaluated lower limb strength (SMD -0.11; 95% CI, -0.41 to 0.18), showing similar results. Morning protein intake had a marginal reduction in total daily energy intake (SMD -0.35; 95% CI, -0.70 to 0.00), and had a significant reduction in trials without exercise (SMD, -0.47; 95% CI, -0.82 to -0.11). As a conclusion, morning protein intake may not improve muscle mass, strength, or physical performance among older adults and may reduce little food intake without exercise. But the evidence is very uncertain. Further high-quality RCTs are needed for the effects of morning protein intake on muscle health in older adults.”

5. 5

   Breakfast (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Sep 30, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Breakfast is the first meal of the day, usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night. Various "typical" or "traditional" breakfast menus exist, with food choices varying by regions and traditions worldwide.”