Study: Skipping Breakfast Can Lead To Weight Gain

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BURBANK, Calif. (CBSMiami) -- Do you eat breakfast?  A new study suggests adults who eat breakfast more often are less likely to gain weight and develop dangerous belly fat.

At Priscilla's Café in Burbank California, many customers start their day with a light breakfast.

"It sets you up well for eating well and your meals the rest of the day so you're not crashing," said Alison Puzio.

Now a new study say a regular meal in the morning could help you stay slim.

Mayo Clinic researchers analyzed the breakfast habits of about 350 adults.

They found people who ate breakfast regularly only gained about 3 pounds over the past year.

People who ate breakfast occasionally put on about 5 pounds, while people who skipped a morning meal entirely gained about 8 pounds and developed dangerous belly fat.

"It's the fat that produces toxins that damage the blood vessels," explained Dr. Virend Somers, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Somers says researchers are still working to figure out the correlation between breakfast and weight.

"If you eat breakfast, if you eat a good breakfast in the morning, you are less likely to be hungry during the course of the day," Dr. Somers says is his leading theory.

Regular breakfast eater Jewel McPherson agrees.

"I never feel, like, famished, like I need to overdo anything because I already feel energized from the start."

Researchers say making breakfast a habit for young people could help them maintain a healthy weight as adults.

Dr. Somers also says people should generally stick to healthier foods in the morning, like protein and healthy carbs and try to avoid high-density sugar filled foods