Breakfast for athletes, is it good or bad to have breakfast?

The breakfast It is the first meal of the day that is made after the night fast, with it energy is provided to the body that will be consumed throughout the day.

Breakfast and overweight

Several studies showed that skipping the breakfast was linked to people who were more overweight and obese, so it was determined that those who skipped breakfast were more likely to gain weight, but claiming that skipping breakfast is the direct cause of overweight or obesity does not make sense, since There are many factors that can affect it, such as that people who eat breakfast are more active or have better habits, etc. Therefore, a report from the National Obesity Observatory in the United Kingdom concluded that the causal relationship of weight gain with weight gain is not clear and stated that it is simply one of the many factors that contribute to a healthy weight.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition asked 300 overweight or obese people to skip breakfast for four months to look at possible differences. The results showed that there was no difference in the amount of kilos lost whether they ate breakfast or not. From what seems to be, at least in adults, that eating breakfast or not does not affect weight. This does not mean, as the Public Health England states, that, despite the results of the studies, breakfast "is an easy meal to maintain a healthy diet and control the rest of the day."

So, if you play sports, is it good or bad to have breakfast?

It is the first meal of the day that is made after the night fast, with it energy is provided to the body that will be consumed throughout the day. As in so many occasions, not everything is white nor everything is black, but it will depend on the person and / or the type of breakfast you make.

If a person is used to having breakfast and wants to do it, it is as good as the one who does not do it and holds up well until a few hours later. In the sports field, fasting is currently considered as something almost necessary to obtain better sports results, but this is not always the case. Let's find out when it works and when it doesn't.

• Fasting and burning fat, yes or no ?: It is true that after the period of sleep and without having consumed food before doing physical exercise, the body will be more predisposed to use fat as fuel and thus obtain the necessary energy, Well, we will not have the carbohydrates available. But the process of obtaining energy from fat is a much more complex process. For example, you can do sports on an empty stomach, but throughout the day if you eat more calories than necessary, you will not lose fat no matter how much you fast. A study published in "The American Journal of Physiology", did provide benefits regarding fasting and fat loss, but in those people who trained 90 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, a much longer time than the average training of non-professional athletes. On the contrary, other studies affirm that there are no differences in the "fat burning" in people who have eaten breakfast or not. Other publications of the "National Library of Medicine" suggest that fasting training in addition to burning fat also consumes muscle glycogen, and therefore muscle.

In which disciplines is breakfast recommended and in which not?

Yes it is advised: in those athletes who seek to increase their sports performance in endurance disciplines that are performed at low-medium intensity and are long-lasting. As are runners and long distance, cyclists ... Fasting allows the body to live a situation similar to that which it will experience in a long-distance competition when "the substrate runs out", in this way the body can adapt and be most effective at the time of the competition.

It is not advised: in those athletes who want to increase or maintain muscle mass. If you train on an empty stomach, the body is in a catabolic state, that is, muscle mass is consumed to obtain the necessary energy due to the deficit of nutrients, and therefore it is very difficult to maintain or increase muscle mass. It should be noted that consuming enough carbohydrates to cover training improves performance and delays fatigue. Nor is it advised in the general population that only two or three days a week as they are not considered great athletes.

conclusion Whether or not to eat breakfast will depend on the athlete in question, the type of discipline, the metabolic adaptation and experience of each person, competitive moment, etc. If you do not have experience, it is important to have the appropriate professional, in this case the dietitian nutritionist specialized in sports nutrition, who can monitor and adapt the diet. The insurance companies have a nutritional assistant through the TeCuidamos program. Whether done as a fad or as a fat loss goal, studies show that it is not effective. In addition, it should be noted that nowadays breakfast is usually of very low quality, rich in refined sugars and fats (packaged fruit juices, sugary cereals, pastries, cookies, sausages ...) and, on the contrary, low in good nutrients. quality. The most important thing will not be to eat breakfast or not have breakfast, if not, if done, do it well, based on foods rich in fiber such as fruit or unsweetened whole grains, nuts, and / or good quality protein such as egg, chicken, tuna replacing sausages and other types of fats and sugars.

• Eating breakfast or not having breakfast will depend on the athlete in question, the type of discipline, the metabolic adaptation and experience of each person, competitive moment, etc.
• Fasting is not recommended for athletes who want to increase or maintain muscle mass.
• It is recommended for athletes who seek to increase their sports performance in endurance disciplines at low-medium intensity and long duration (runners, long-distance triathletes, cyclists ...)

Monica Carreira Diploma in Human Nutrition and Dietetics Sports nutrition specialist