People who want to lose weight should make it a point to eat breakfast to avoid craving high-calorie foods later in the day,
say researchers who presented their findings at the Endocrine Society’s annual conference in June.

The researchers examined why skipping breakfast increased the risk of weight gain in dieters. Using magnetic resonance
imaging of brain activity, they observed that the brain’s “reward” centers were activated by the sight of high-calorie foods after
the subjects fasted. Conversely, the subjects did not experience
a desire for these same foods when they did eat breakfast.

According to the researchers, these results support eating a healthy breakfast as part of any healthy weight loss endeavor. “When people skip meals, especially breakfast, changes in brain activity in response to food may hinder weight loss and even promote weight gain,” the researchers said at the conference.