Eating breakfast regularly may significantly improve diet quality and nutrient intake among teenagers who usually skip the morning meal, with the greatest benefits linked to protein-rich breakfasts, according to a six-month clinical trial.
Protein-rich breakfasts may improve diet quality and nutrient intake among teens who regularly skip the morning meal. Image credit: Pexels.
“This is one of the largest and longest tightly controlled breakfast trials in adolescents,” said Emma Rose Brown, a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin.
“Our findings suggest that adding breakfast, especially a meal high in protein, may help improve nutrient intake and overall diet quality among older adolescents.”
Although breakfast is often described as the most important meal of the day, researchers note that scientific evidence supporting this claim remains limited.
“We wanted to determine whether eating a high-protein breakfast could increase nutrient intake and encourage healthier food choices throughout the rest of the day,” Brown said.
The study followed 128 adolescents between 14 and 21 years old for six months. All participants typically skipped breakfast approximately six times per week.
Researchers divided the participants into three groups. The first group ate a standard-protein breakfast, the second consumed a higher-protein breakfast with the same number of calories, and the third continued to skip breakfast.
Each breakfast provided approximately 350 calories. The standard breakfast contained about 11 grams of protein, while the high-protein breakfast provided approximately 30 grams.
At regular intervals, the researchers assessed participants’ diets using detailed food recalls and weighed food returns. These methods helped the team measure what participants ate and how much they consumed throughout each day.
Total daily calorie intake was similar among the three groups, averaging approximately 2,200 calories per day. However, the types and nutritional quality of the foods participants consumed varied considerably.
Compared with teens who continued skipping breakfast, both breakfast groups consumed more fiber, iron, zinc, and choline.
Participants who ate the high-protein breakfast experienced additional benefits. They consumed more total protein, iron, and choline than adolescents in the breakfast-skipping group.
The study also identified changes in food choices. Regardless of protein content, teens who ate breakfast consumed fewer calories from desserts, sweets, and candy than those who skipped breakfast. This difference was most noticeable after three months.
Teens assigned to the high-protein breakfast also consumed less added sugar than participants in both the standard-protein breakfast and breakfast-skipping groups.
“Breakfast consumption increased the intake of several nutrients of public health concern and reduced consumption of high-fat and high-sugar foods among adolescents who habitually skipped breakfast,” the authors concluded. “Additional benefits were observed among participants who consumed a higher-protein breakfast.”
According to the researchers, adding a nutritious morning meal—particularly one containing ample protein—could be a practical strategy for improving nutrient adequacy and diet quality in older adolescents.
The researchers presented their findings on July 25 at NUTRITION 2026, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, held in National Harbor, Maryland.
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Emma Rose Brown et al. Breakfast Consumption Improved Nutrient Adequacy and Diet Quality Throughout a 6-Month Breakfast Feeding Trial in Habitual ‘Breakfast Skipping’ Adolescents. NUTRITION 2026
Source: www.sci.news