Breakfast, glycaemic index and health in young people

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to extend previous reviews on breakfast consumption and health to provide a greater understanding of the role of breakfast composition, particularly breakfast GI. Unlike the evidence on breakfast consumption, which has often been based on large cross-sectional studies, the evidence on breakfast GI is based primarily on controlled experimental studies, often with relatively small samples. At times, it was necessary to refer to the adult-based literature in this review to support findings from young people or to highlight areas that are particularly lacking in empirical evidence in this population. Since breakfast consumption has declined in young people and also decreases from childhood to adolescence, strategies to promote regular consumption of a healthy breakfast in young people are warranted. Future research in young people should place greater emphasis on breakfast composition, consider the mechanisms controlling relationships between breakfast consumption and health, and investigate the benefits of habitual consumption of LGI compared with HGI breakfasts.