It has long been hailed as the most crucial meal of the day, vital for getting the body going and preventing overeating later on. But breakfast may not be so vital after all, if new research is to be believed. Contrary to popular belief, the study found the first meal of the day had little impact on snacking or portion sizes later in the day. It also had no effect on metabolism.

很長時間以來早餐都被認定為一天中最重要的一餐，它可以激發身體的能量同時避免過量進食。但是如果最新的調查是正確的話，早餐可能并不是如我們想象那般重要。與流行說法相反的是，研究發現早餐對整天的吃零食并沒有影響，同時也不會影響到新陳代謝。

The researchers, from the University of Bath, now suggest the better health of people who eat a good breakfast may be due to their general, wider, diet regime. They found there was no change in metabolism after six weeks between those who ate nothing for breakfast and those who consumed 700 calories before 11am. The major difference was that those who abstained from breakfast ate fewer calories over the whole day.

來自巴斯大學的調查者稱，早餐吃好的人們身體更健康是因為他們攝入得飲食更廣泛。而經過六周的實驗，調查者發現在11點之前攝入700大卡的人群和早餐不吃的人群中，新陳代謝并沒有變化。主要的不同在于不吃早餐的人一天攝入的卡路里更少。

This goes against the long-held theory that people who skip breakfast simply make up for it by gorging on food later on. However, breakfast eaters were likely to expend more energy – around 442 calories – by being active, mainly in the morning after eating. They also had more stable blood sugar readings, especially by the end of the trial.

這和之前人們認為的“不吃早餐會使人之后進食更多”的想法截然相反。然而，吃早餐的人確實會因為更加活躍消耗更多能量——約442大卡，尤其是在早飯后那一段時間。他們的血糖指數也更穩定，尤其是在實驗后期。

The research added: “The belief that breakfast is ‘the most important meal of the day’ is so widespread that many people are surprised to learn that there is a lack of scientific evidence showing whether or how breakfast may directly cause changes in our health. It is certainly true that people who regularly eat breakfast tend to be slimmer and healthier but these individuals also typically follow most other recommendations for a healthy lifestyle, so have more balanced diets and take more physical exercise. ”

調查還說，“認為早餐最重要的傳統觀念被大眾廣泛接受，關于早餐是否會對我們的健康造成直接影響這個問題上，目前是缺乏科學依據的。很多人對此非常驚訝。當然，有規律地吃早餐的人會更苗條，也更健康，不過這些人其他的生活方式也一定是非常健康合理的，也會注意平衡飲食和鍛煉身體。”

In another study published this month, researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham divided vounteers into three groups. One skipped breakfast, others always ate it and a third continued with their current regime. Four months later, no-one in any group had lost much weight.

而在本月發表的另外一項調查中，來自伯明翰阿拉巴馬大學的調查者把志愿者們分成三組：一組不吃早餐，一組經常吃早餐，最后一組遵循之前的飲食方式。四個月后，沒有任何志愿者的體重下降。