Skipping breakfast is unlikely to have a significant negative impact on cognitive function in healthy adults, according to a team of researchers from the University of Auckland after analyzing more than 70 studies examining the effects of short-term fasting on brain function.
The results of a meta-analysis published in the prestigious journal Psychological Bulletin showed that abstaining from food for a period of up to 24 hours, including skipping the morning meal, does not lead to a statistically significant deterioration in attention, memory, or thinking speed in healthy adults.
Researchers compared the cognitive performance of more than 3,000 participants who fasted for 8 to 24 hours with a control group who ate normally. The analysis found no significant difference in test scores, indicating the brain's ability to maintain efficient functioning in the absence of immediate energy from food.
According to the authors, this phenomenon is explained by the body's ability to quickly adapt and switch to using internal energy reserves — in particular, ketone bodies formed during the breakdown of fats.
However, it is important to understand that these findings apply only to healthy adults. In particular, they do not apply to children and adolescents, whose brains are more sensitive to glucose levels, as well as people with diabetes, pregnant women, and the elderly. Thus, for a healthy adult, the decision to eat breakfast may be a matter of personal comfort and lifestyle.
