Fans who love a full English breakfast worried about their health will be jumping with joy - eating a larger breakfast to curb eating throughout the day, with a smaller dinner could help you lose weight.
Researchers say weight loss occurs as you feel less hungry after a larger breakfast, leading to a decrease in the amount of food you go on to eat during the day. The study by scientists saw them control people's meals, comparing the impact of a large breakfast or a large evening meal.
The researchers at the University of Aberdeen discovered people burned the same number of calories whenever they consumed the largest meal of the day. The appetite to eat more food was smaller after people ate a large breakfast - meaning weight loss is easier if people stick to a larger breakfast routine.
The study centred on chrono-nutrition. This, according to the British Dietetic Association, is an emerging field of nutritional science that aims to develop understanding of how and when we eat, and how these factors impact our health.
One popular thought process is that dining in the evening is not the best time to eat, as metabolic rates are at their lowest.
The volunteer group consisting of 30 people ate prepared meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner over a two-month period. The total intake of calories was 1,700 a day.
All breakfasts eaten by volunteers consisted of high-protein food and drink including eggs, mushrooms, sausages, yoghurts and smoothies.
In the first month, the group consumed a large breakfast of around 850 calories - that is half their daily calorie allowance. They then ate a smaller lunch and dinner in the same day, to accommodate the smaller calorie allowance.
In the second month, the group consumed their largest meal in the evening instead of breakfast-time. The group's metabolism was measured using scientific methods including doubly labelled water (DLW).
This is an isotope-based technique used for the assessment of energy expenditure. As DLW is heavier than tap water, it an be easily tracked as it exits the body.
Results were published in research journal Cell Metabolism which showed that the timing of the largest meal - be it the larger breakfast or the larger dinner - made no difference on the number of calories burned. It also made little difference on the amount of weight lost, or the volunteers' resting metabolic rate.
One massive difference was the appetite levels which appeared to be curbed by those who consumed the bigger breakfast.
Prof Alexandra Johnstone told the BBC that a big breakfast could help control appetite. She said: "If you can start your day with a healthy big breakfast, you are more likely to maintain physical activity levels and maintain that control over appetite for the remainder of the day."
Eating a larger breakfast and smaller portions of lunch and dinner may well be a way forward to suppress appetite thoughout the day. It is not the usual eating pattern for the majority of the people where some people even skip breakfast and consume the bulk of their calories for lunch or dinner.
Lifestyle may be a big obstacle that gets in the way of this potential new way - eating a larger breakfast - of losing weight.
Prof Johnstone said: "People are trying to maximize their sleep and don't have time in the morning to either prepare or sit down and eat a larger meal. Therefore by default they eat a larger evening meal."
Scientists continue to explore chrono-nutrition and are currently studying the diet of shift workers and the impact of ingesting food late at night. One intriguing train of thought is that people could benefit from finding out their chronotype - if they like arising early or if they are a nightowl - then eat accordingly.
"If you are thinking about changing your diet, think about times when you get hungry and may go for an extra snack" said Dr Duane Mellor, a dietitian at Aston University.
She added: "If that is in the morning, then having a bigger breakfast may help. Equally if you are an evening nibbler, having a more substantial evening meal instead and eating smaller meals in the day could help."
A larger breakfast may not be a straightforward path on people's journey to lose weight. However it is good news for those who find themselves snacking throughout the day, as a larger breakfast does appear to curb appetite.
