This process, known as diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), is a measure of the functioning of human metabolism and can vary based on meal times.
“Our results show that a meal is eaten for breakfast, regardless of the number of calories it contains, creates a double diet-induced thermogenesis compared to the same meal eaten at dinner,” said lead researcher Juliane Richter.
“This finding is significant for all people as it emphasizes the value of eating enough for breakfast,” added Richter.
The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism of the Endocrine Society.
The researchers conducted a three-day laboratory study on 16 men who ate a low calorie breakfast and a high calorie dinner, and vice versa in a second round.
They found that identical calorie consumption led to 2.5 times higher DITs in the morning than in the evening after high calorie and high calorie meals. The food-induced rise in blood sugar and insulin concentrations decreased after breakfast compared to dinner.
The results also show that eating a low calorie breakfast increases appetite, particularly for sweets.
“We recommend obesity patients and healthy people to have a big breakfast instead of a big dinner to reduce body weight and prevent metabolic diseases,” said Richter.