title: Breakfast consumption and adiposity among children and adolescents: an updated review of the literature.
abstract: Breakfast consumption has been associated with reduced risk of overweight and obesity among children, but previous evidence reviews fail to confirm a causal relationship.
  
  
  
  To review recent literature on breakfast consumption and adiposity among children and discuss potential underlying mechanisms.
  
  
  
  A comprehensive literature search of studies published since the 2010 US National Evidence Library review (January 2010-January 2015) was conducted.
  
  
  
  Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. All were conducted in industrialized countries: six in Europe, four in the USA, one in China and one in Australia. Ten of the studies used observational longitudinal designs, with follow-up periods ranging from 1 to 27 years (median: 3, mean: 7.4); of these, eight reported inverse associations between breakfast consumption and excess adiposity, while two found no association. The other studies (1 case-control, 1 experimental) each reported a protective effect of breakfast consumption on overweight and obesity among children.
  
  
  
  Findings corroborate results from previous reviews, adding support for a possible, protective role for breakfast consumption in preventing excess adiposity during childhood and adolescence. However, drawing a causal conclusion from the collective evidence is curtailed by methodological limitations and inconsistencies, including study design, follow-up duration and frequency, exposure and outcome assessment, as well as limited consideration of confounding, mediating and effect-modifying variables. More rigorous study designs employing valid and standardized measurement of relevant variables are needed.
authors: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, ChildObesity180, Tufts University, Boston, USA. stacy.blondin@tufts.edu.
authors: S A
authors: SA
authors: Blondin
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Anzman-Frasca
authors: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, ChildObesity180, Tufts University, Boston, USA.
authors: H C
authors: HC
authors: Djang
authors: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, ChildObesity180, Tufts University, Boston, USA.
authors: C D
authors: CD
authors: Economos
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D001315:Australia; D015992:Body Mass Index; D062408:Breakfast / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014481:United States
keywords: Breakfast; children; obesity; overweight