Abstract
During adolescence, healthy eating habits are important, and regular meal intake has an especially positive effect on future health. However, the rate of skipping breakfast has gradually increased. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the positive effects of a rice-based breakfast in Korean adolescents who usually skip breakfast. In this open parallel-group, randomized controlled trial, 105 middle and high school students aged 12–18 years who habitually skipped breakfast were recruited. They were randomly divided into three groups: the rice meal group (RMG, n = 35), wheat meal group (WMG, n = 35), and general meal group (GMG, n = 35). The RMG and WMG received a rice-based breakfast and wheat-based breakfast, respectively, for 12 weeks. After a 12-week intervention, the body fat mass (p < 0.05) and body mass index (p < 0.05) in the RMG were significantly lower than those in the other two groups, and the stress score was also significantly lower in the RMG (p < 0.05). Moreover, after the intervention, in the RMG only, compared to baseline levels, the relative theta (RT) wave activity significantly decreased in eight electrode sites, and the relative alpha (RA) wave activity increased significantly. Eating a rice-based breakfast has positive effects on body fat accumulation and cognitive function in Korean adolescents. Furthermore, a rice-based breakfast plan that is preferred by adolescents should be developed to assist them in developing healthy eating habits.
Highlights
During adolescence, eating habits change along with the onset of puberty, and eating habits, once formed, are often difficult to modify, it is important to form healthy eating habits during this period [1]
The total brief cognitive rating scale (BCRS) score significantly increased in the rice-based meal group (RMG) only (p < 0.05), and the other groups did not exhibit significant differences
The recorded changes in the relative theta (RT) waves exhibited a significant reduction from baseline until the end of the study period in the RMG only
Summary
During adolescence, eating habits change along with the onset of puberty, and eating habits, once formed, are often difficult to modify, it is important to form healthy eating habits during this period [1]. Appropriate eating habits are especially essential for adolescents because regular meal intake has a positive effect on their future health [2]. The rate of skipping breakfast has gradually increased due to the “lack of time” and “lack of appetite” among adolescents [3]. The rate of breakfast skipping in 12- to 18-year-old students in Korea was 34.6% in 2016 [4], and more than half of these students did not form a regular breakfast intake habit [5]. It was found that eating breakfast during youth is associated with a lower body mass index (BMI), weight loss, and positive effects on cognitive performance [6,7,8,9]. The importance of eating breakfast has been highlighted across several cross-sectional studies [12,13], there are not many studies on dietary interventions
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