Eating Dessert For Breakfast 'Slashes Food Cravings And Prevents Weight Gain'

It sounds too good to be true, but a group of scientists reckon they’ve figured out how to prevent weight-gain and food cravings – and it involves adding a cookie or a slice of cake to your breakfast.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University’s Wolfson Medical Center in Israel believe that dieters would have less trouble fighting off pesky hunger pangs throughout the day if they ate a carbohydrate-rich, protein-packed breakfast – with a helping of dessert.
During the study, researchers enlisted the help of 200 (non-diabetic) obese adults who were split into two groups.
One group was asked to follow a low-carbohydrate diet including a 304-calorie breakfast containing a total of 10g of carbs.

The second group were given a 600-calorie breakfast with 60g carbs and a small ‘sweet’, such as chocolates, cookies, a slice of cake or a doughnut.
Both breakfasts from the two groups included protein-rich foods like egg whites, tuna, cheese and low-fat milk. However, second group (who followed the ‘dessert breakfast’) consumed an extra 15g of protein than the first group.
Although both groups had lost 33 pounds at the study's halfway point (around 15.1kg per person) - those following the low-carb diet, regained 22 pounds during the final four months of the study compared to the ‘dessert for breakfast’ group who regained an average of 15 pounds.

Furthermore, participants who ate dessert for breakfast also noted a reduction in hunger pangs (caused by a dip in ghrelin levels – or the ‘hunger hormone’) and sugary food cravings. The low-carb dieters, however, did not report a change in either of these factors.
Those who ate dessert for breakfast also found it easier to stick to calorie requirements throughout the day.
"The goal of a weight loss diet should be not only weight reduction but also reduction of hunger and cravings, thus helping prevent weight regain," said study author, Daniela Jakubowicz in a statement.

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Atkins, GI Or Low-Fat: Which Diet Works The Best?

According to new research, a low-fat diet offers the least chance for long-term weight loss.

Over four years, researchers at the Children's Hospital Boston looked at how easily volunteers 'regained weight' after following either a low-fat diet, low-glycemic index diet (commonly known as the GI Diet), or low-carbohydrate diet (or Atkins).
Many people can lose weight for a few months, but most have difficulty maintaining clinically significant weight loss over the long term, explains the report.

In a statement the researcher highlight that, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2006), only one in six overweight and obese adults report ever having maintained weight loss of at least 10% for one year.
One explanation for the poor long-term outcome is that weight loss elicits biological adaptations, suggests the research.

Specifically a decline in energy expenditure and an increase in hunger—that promotes weight.
According to preliminary research published in the June 27 issue of JAMA, a low-fat diet may increase the risk for weight regain compared to the other diets.
In an examination of the effect on energy expenditure and components of the metabolic syndrome of three types of commonly consumed diets following weight loss, decreases in resting energy expenditure and total energy expenditure were greatest with a low-fat diet, intermediate with a low-glycemic index diet, and least with a very low-carbohydrate diet.

The study, conducted between June 2006 and June 2010, included 21 overweight and obese young adults.

The researchers found that energy expenditure during weight-loss maintenance differed significantly among the three diets.
"The results of our study challenge the notion that a calorie is a calorie from a metabolic perspective," the researchers write, in a statement.
"These findings suggest that a strategy to reduce glycemic load rather than dietary fat may be advantageous for weight-loss maintenance and cardiovascular disease prevention.
"Ultimately, successful weight-loss maintenance will require behavioral and environmental interventions to facilitate long-term dietary adherence.
"But such interventions will be most effective if they promote a dietary pattern that ameliorates the adverse biological changes accompanying weight loss," the researchers conclude.

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