Children who miss breakfast are less happy in life

According to a study of nearly 150,000 young people around the world, children who frequently skip breakfast have lower life satisfaction than those who regularly eat a morning meal.

The researchpublished in the BMC Nutrition Diarywas led by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Universidad de las Americas, and shows an almost linear relationship between higher breakfast frequency and greater life satisfaction in children and adolescents aged 10 to 17 years old in 42 countries, including Great Britain .

The highest life satisfaction score was observed in participants who ate breakfast daily, while the lowest life satisfaction score was observed in children who never ate breakfast.

Of the 42 countries surveyed, children who had breakfast every day in Portugal had the highest levels of life satisfaction. In contrast, the lowest life satisfaction scores were found in children from Romania who never ate breakfast, suggesting that potential socio-economic factors also influence the results.

Among children who ate breakfast every day, children in England had the fifth lowest average life satisfaction score, behind only Romania, Hungary, Germany and Austria.

Senior author Lee Smith, professor of public health at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: “Our study was broad-based and found a consistent link between breakfast frequency and life satisfaction, and there are several possible reasons for this. There have been previous studies showing depressed mood among adolescents who did not eat breakfast and were also more likely to suffer from anxiety, stress and depression.

“In addition, consuming an adequate breakfast provides the necessary energy and nutrients for optimal cognitive functioning and improves concentration, memory and learning ability.

“Another reason could be the mix of vitamins and minerals we get through our daily breakfast, and if we don’t get these regularly, it can result in lower life satisfaction over time. A regular routine that includes breakfast can also bringing structure and a positive tone to the rest of the day.

“The results showed some inconsistencies between countries, which may be influenced by diverse cultures, lifestyles and socio-economic factors. Nevertheless, our results show that across all countries surveyed, reported life satisfaction is generally higher among those who eat breakfast daily than among those who never eat breakfast.”