It has long been hailed¹ as the most crucial meal of the day, vital for getting the body going and preventing overeating later on. But breakfast may not be so vital after all, if new research is to be believed.Contrary to popular belief, the study found the first meal of the day had little impact on snacking or portion sizes later in the day. It also had no effect on metabolism².

很长时间以来早餐都被认定为一天中最重要的一餐，它可以激发身体的能量同时避免过量进食。但是如果最新的调查是正确的话，早餐可能并不是如我们想象那般重要。与流行说法相反的是，研究发现早餐对整天的吃零食并没有影响，同时也不会影响到新陈代谢。

The researchers, from the University of Bath, now suggest the better health of people who eat a good breakfast may be due to their general, wider, diet regime³.They found there was no change in metabolism after six weeks between those who ate nothing for breakfast and those who consumed 700 calories before 11am.The major difference was that those who abstained⁴ from breakfast ate fewer calories over the whole day.

来自巴斯大学的调查者称，早餐吃好的人们身体更健康是因为他们摄入得饮食更广泛。而经过六周的实验，调查者发现在11点之前摄入700大卡的人群和早餐不吃的人群中，新陈代谢并没有变化。主要的不同在于不吃早餐的人一天摄入的卡路里更少。

This goes against the long-held theory that people who skip breakfast simply make up for it by gorging⁵ on food later on.However, breakfast eaters were likely to expend⁶ more energy - around 442 calories - by being active, mainly in the morning after eating. They also had more stable blood sugar readings, especially by the end of the trial.

这和之前人们认为的“不吃早餐会使人之后进食更多”的想法截然相反。然而，吃早餐的人确实会因为更加活跃消耗更多能量——约442大卡，尤其是在早饭后那一段时间。他们的血糖指数也更稳定，尤其是在实验后期。

The research added: “The belief that breakfast is ‘the most important meal of the day’ is so widespread that many people are surprised to learn that there is a lack of scientific evidence showing whether or how breakfast may directly cause changes in our health. It is certainly true that people who regularly eat breakfast tend to be slimmer and healthier but these individuals also typically follow most other recommendations⁷ for a healthy lifestyle, so have more balanced diets and take more physical exercise. ”

调查还说，“认为早餐最重要的传统观念被大众广泛接受，关于早餐是否会对我们的健康造成直接影响这个问题上，目前是缺乏科学依据的。很多人对此非常惊讶。当然，有规律地吃早餐的人会更苗条，也更健康，不过这些人其他的生活方式也一定是非常健康合理的，也会注意平衡饮食和锻炼身体。”

In another study published this month, researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham divided vounteers into three groups. One skipped breakfast, others always ate it and a third continued with their current regime. Four months later, no-one in any group had lost much weight.

而在本月发表的另外一项调查中，来自伯明翰阿拉巴马大学的调查者把志愿者们分成三组：一组不吃早餐，一组经常吃早餐，最后一组遵循之前的饮食方式。四个月后，没有任何志愿者的体重下降。