Nutrition experts weigh in on the benefits of skipping breakfast

Nutrition experts are addressing the social media trend of skipping breakfast to allow the liver and insulin to “rest” or to promote fat burning. Dr. Le Thi Huong Giang, Head of the Nutrition and Dietetics Department at Hospital 19-8, explains that human metabolism does not function by simply turning organs off.

During overnight fasting, the liver utilizes stored glycogen to maintain stable blood sugar levels and can even produce new glucose to meet energy needs. While skipping breakfast does lead to lower insulin levels and increased fat mobilization, experts note that a temporary decrease in insulin does not necessarily guarantee long-term improvements in insulin sensitivity.

A small study involving 22 individuals with type 2 diabetes indicated that skipping breakfast could negatively impact subsequent meals, with glucose responses increasing by approximately 37% after lunch and 27% after dinner. For healthy adults, while eating at a specific time like 7:00 AM is not strictly mandatory, the focus should remain on meeting total daily nutritional and energy requirements without making meal skipping a rigid habit.