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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #296556
Title: The relationship of breakfast skipping and type of breakfast consumed with overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity, other cardiometabolic risk factors and the metabolic syndrome in young adults. NHANES 1999-2006

Author
item DESHMUKH-TASKAR, PRIYA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item NICKLAS, THERESA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item RADCIFFE, JOHN - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item O'NEIL, CAROL - LSU Agcenter
item LIU, YAN - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)

Submitted to: Public Health Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/2012
Publication Date: 10/3/2012
Citation: Deshmukh-Taskar, P., Nicklas, T.A., Radciffe, J.D., O'Neil, C.E., Liu, Y. 2012. The relationship of breakfast skipping and type of breakfast consumed with overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity, other cardiometabolic risk factors and the metabolic syndrome in young adults, NHANES 1999-2006. Public Health Nutrition. 16:2073-2082.

Interpretive Summary: Young adulthood is a difficult period of transition from adolescence, with increasing responsibilities, including new jobs and providing for young families, coupled with hurried lifestyles. These challenges may translate into unhealthy dietary practices such as breakfast skipping. Data from the 1999–2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that 37.2% and 25.9% of US young adults aged 19–29 years and 30–39 years, respectively, skipped breakfast. In this sample of US young adults, eating a breakfast that included an ready-to-eat-cereal was associated with lower prevalence of overweight/obesity,abdominal obesity, and several other cardiometabolic risk factors in contrast to the potential adverse metabolic effects that were found from skipping breakfast. More studies using multiple days of dietary assessment, along with a longitudinal study design to determine the relationship between regular breakfast habits, overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity, and other cardiometabolic risk factors, are suggested. Nevertheless, health professionals should encourage regular consumption of a nutritious breakfast (e.g., one that includes a ready-to-eat-cereal) in the young adult population. Interventions to increase the prevalence of breakfast consumption in the young adult population are also warranted.

Technical Abstract: The goal of this study was to examine the association between breakfast skipping and type of breakfast consumed with overweight /obesity, abdominal obesity, other cardiometabolic risk factors and the metabolic syndrome. Three breakfast groups were identified (breakfast skippers, ready-to-eat-cereal consumers, and other breakfast consumers) using a 24-hour dietary recall. Risk factors were compared between the breakfast groups using covariate-adjusted statistical procedures. This was a cross-sectional study using data from the 2007–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey which showed that the prevalence of overweight/obesity for US young adult males and females 20–39 years of age was 63.5% and 59.5%, respectively. Among these young adults (n=5316), 23.8% were breakfast skippers, 16.5% were ready-to-eat-cereal consumers, and 59.7% were other breakfast consumers. In this sample of US young adults, eating a breakfast that included a ready-to-eat-cereal was associated with lower prevalence of overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity, and several other cardiometabolic risk factors in contrast to the potential adverse metabolic effects that were found from skipping breakfast. More studies using multiple days of dietary assessment, along with a longitudinal study design to determine the relationship between regular breakfast habits, overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity, and other cardiometabolic risk factors, are suggested. Results suggest that consumption of breakfast, especially that included a ready-to-eat-cereal, was associated with an improved cardiometabolic risk profile in US young adults. Additional studies are needed to determine the nature of these relationships.