Protein-Packed Breakfast May Help You Loose Weight (VIDEO)

First Posted: Aug 13, 2015 10:00 AM EDT

Want to lose weight? Then you may want to have a protein-packed breakfast. Researchers have found that the actual type of breakfast you consume plays a role in your health and weight management.

"This study examined if the type of breakfast consumed can improve weight management in young people who habitually skip breakfast," said Heather Leidy, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Generally, people establish eating behaviors during their teen years. If teens are able to develop good eating habits now, such as eating breakfast, it's likely to continue the rest of their lives."

In this latest study, the researchers fed two groups of overweight teens who usually skipped breakfast either normal-protein breakfast meals or high-protein breakfast meals. A third group of teens continued to skip breakfast for 12 weeks.

"The group of teens who ate high-protein breakfasts reduced their daily food intake by 400 calories and lost body fat mass, while the groups who ate normal-protein breakfasts or continued to skip breakfast gained additional body fat," said Leidy. "These results show that when individuals eat a high-protein breakfast, they voluntarily consume less food the rest of the day. In addition, teens who ate high-protein breakfast had more stable glucose levels than the other groups."

Fluctuations in glucose levels are associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes among young people. This can make health complications associated with weight gain far more intense.

The findings reveal that a high-protein meal, around 35 grams of protein-worth, may cause you to be more successful in weight loss. This is particularly important when considering the obesity epidemic.

The findings are published in the International Journal of Obesity.