Relevancia del desayuno en la niñez

Breakfast and its significance have been poorly treated in the field of nutrition, and even less so in pediatrics and other healthcare professions. There is abundance of research on breakfast, and early studies between 1973 and 1988 on breakfast patterns and their contribution of macronutrients to the diet found that a high proportion of the population studied did not receive breakfast. There are publications that suggest a number of advantages over eating breakfast, as well as disadvantages when this meal is omitted. Eating the first meal of the day decreases the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and is considered a physiological need and a healthy habit.Although there are adequate scientific support showing that breakfast is the main meal of the day, it is also the most commonly omitted, especially when the child begins to attend early education. A balanced breakfast averts lack of energy throughout the morning, improves eating habits and overall diet quality, facilitates the absorption of nutrients, helps to restore the functions of the digestive system, increases metabolism and promotes a moment of family gathering. In addition, children who receive breakfast have better nutritional status and productivity at school. Children who eat breakfast can exercise longer, have better verbal fluency, lower serum cholesterol levels and improved biochemical indices of serum vitamins B1 and B2.Daily breakfast is an intervention with positive results, not only in the students' academic performance, but overall as a long-term public health measure