New study disputes popular belly fat burning recommendation

A common advice most people are given when they try to lose weight is to be conscious of the timing of meals. Specifically, it is recommended that you eat a big breakfast and less food at dinnertime. But now, new research has shown that the time you eat does not in itself have that much impact on how many calories you burn, according to NBC News.

The research

A team of researchers from the University of Aberdeen found that eating a bulk of your calories early on in the day is no guarantee for weight loss.

The research published in the journal Cell Metabolism, studied data from controlling the meals of 30 volunteers. This allowed the researchers to compare the impact of a large breakfast or a large dinner, according to BBC.

The participants spent a month eating a big breakfast, making up nearly half their daily calories. These meals were followed by smaller lunch and an even smaller dinner. The next month, they switched to having lighter breakfasts and big dinners. The study said:

Together, the research suggests that the way our bodies process calories in the morning versus the evening does not influence weight loss in the way that has been reported in other studies.

No magic here

However, the team found that even though having a big breakfast doesn’t impact weight loss, it could make you feel fuller during the day, thus reducing your appetite. They could not establish the scientific link between a big breakfast and low appetite. One of the scientists, Prof Alexandra Johnstone told the BBC:

If you can start your day with a healthy big breakfast, you are more likely to maintain physical activity levels and maintain that control over appetite for the remainder of the day.

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