Effect of Skipping Breakfast on Metabolic Function

The Washington University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Skipping Breakfast; Circadian Rhythms

Treatments: Other: 3 standard meals/day; Other: 2 meals/day (omit breakfast)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02093572

201402039

KL2TR000450 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that the disruption of the "normal" (three meals a day) eating pattern and prolonged overnight fasting caused by skipping breakfast: i) alters the expression of specific clock genes and clock gene targets involved in regulating adipose tissue lipolysis (breakdown or destruction); ii) increases basal adipose tissue lipolytic (breakdown) activity and plasma free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations; iii) reduces skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity; and iv) increases daylong plasma glucose, FFA, and insulin concentrations. The investigator will do this by studying healthy, lean persons either randomized to consume either 3 standard meals per day or omit breakfast and consume 2 meals per day without changing daily calorie intake (skipping breakfast group).

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 55 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Males & females
• 18-55 years old
• BMI between 18.5 - 29.9 kg/m²
• Sleeps >7 hours/night
• Normally consume 3 meals/day, including breakfast

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnancy, lactating or breastfeeding
• Diabetes
• Sleep disorders
• Significant organ dysfunction
• Shift or nighttime workers
• Smokers
• Breakfast skippers
• People who regularly sleep <7 hours/night
• Consume excess amounts of alcohol
• Medications that could alter the results of this study

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 2 patient groups

Control

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects randomized to this group will consume 3 standard meals/day during the 2 week intervention period of the study.

Treatment:

Other: 3 standard meals/day

Breakfast skipping

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects randomized to this group will consume 2 meals/day (omit breakfast - with caloric intake equal to consuming 3 meals/day) during the 2 week intervention period of the study.

Treatment:

Other: 2 meals/day (omit breakfast)