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Is Breakfast Really the Most Important Meal of the Day?

Breakfast is not "the most important meal of the day" for weight or metabolic health. A 2019 meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials found people told to eat breakfast did not lose more weight than those told to skip it; skippers actually lost slightly more (about 0.44kg) on average. The "most important meal" idea traces to a 1920s PR campaign, not clinical evidence.

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In-house · synthesized from the cited primary sources
At a glance
Time
5 min
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Beginner
Sievert and colleagues pooled 13 randomized controlled trials and found that instructing people to eat breakfast did not reduce their weight or total energy intake compared with instructing them to skip it; people told to skip breakfast lost slightly more weight (about 0.44kg) on average.
What the evidence says
Know the historical origin
Trace the 'most important meal' claim to its source 1920s PR campaign for Beech-Nut bacon got doctors to publicly endorse heavy breakfasts

Knowing the claim began as advertising, not research, helps explain why the science doesn’t back it as strongly as the phrase suggests.

Braithwaite - Bernays and why we eat bacon for breakfast
Know the actual trial evidence
Look at what the RCTs actually found Pooling 13 RCTs, adding breakfast did not reduce weight or total energy intake versus skipping it; skippers lost about 0.44kg more on average

This is the best available trial evidence on breakfast and weight, and it does not support the claim that breakfast helps weight control.

Sievert et al., BMJ 2019
What to actually do
Choose based on how you feel, not the myth Eat breakfast if it helps you feel and perform better; skip it if you do not miss it; neither is inherently better for weight, so pick what you can sustain

Neither eating nor skipping breakfast has been shown to be inherently better for weight, so sustainability is the better guide.

Sievert et al., BMJ 2019
The evidence 2

Sievert and colleagues pooled 13 randomized controlled trials and found that instructing people to eat breakfast did not reduce their weight or total energy intake compared with instructing them to skip it; people told to skip breakfast lost slightly more weight (about 0.44kg) on average.

View sources
Edward Bernays and why we eat bacon for breakfast (Braithwaite) Read gobraithwaite.com
Sievert et al. - Effect of breakfast on weight and energy intake: systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs (BMJ, 2019) Read pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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Not medical advice. This page is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Consult a qualified clinician before changing your health routine.
Editorial disclosure. This protocol is written and fact-checked by the YourProtocol editorial team directly from the primary sources cited below; it is not written or reviewed by any outside expert.

Is this for you
  • Anyone deciding whether to eat breakfast for weight goals
  • People who feel guilty skipping breakfast
  • Anyone practicing intermittent fasting or a compressed eating window
  • Anyone repeating the "most important meal" claim
Cautions
  • This is about weight and energy intake in generally healthy adults, not a blanket claim that breakfast is bad
  • People with diabetes or on certain medications should follow their clinician’s meal-timing guidance rather than this general finding
  • Educational only, not medical advice
Common questions
Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?
Not according to the trial evidence for weight or metabolic health. A 2019 meta-analysis of 13 RCTs found no weight benefit from eating breakfast versus skipping it; skippers lost slightly more (about 0.44kg) on average (Sievert et al., BMJ 2019).
Where did the 'most important meal' idea come from?
Largely a 1920s public relations campaign for Beech-Nut bacon, run by PR pioneer Edward Bernays, who got physicians to publicly endorse heavy breakfasts, not clinical research.
Will skipping breakfast make me overeat later?
The pooled RCT data does not show that; people told to skip breakfast did not eat more overall and lost slightly more weight than breakfast-eaters on average.
So should I skip breakfast?
Only if you want to. Eat breakfast if it helps you feel and perform better; skip it if you don't miss it. Neither is inherently better for weight, so pick what you can sustain.
Does this apply to everyone, including people with diabetes?
No. This is about weight and energy intake in generally healthy adults. People with diabetes or on certain medications should follow their clinician’s meal-timing guidance.
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