It is only reasonable to expect decreased performance when there is no fuel for the brain. Low blood glucose, as a result of no food between bedtime and lunch, is at least in part to blame. Children up to age 10 need to eat every four to six hours to keep their blood glucose levels up enough to support brain and nervous system activity. Intakes of some nutrients are higher in children who eat a complete breakfast than in children who skip this meal. Similar results have also been found with adults.
Breakfast skipping is even more common in adults than in children.
Adults often skip breakfast in an effort to lose weight. But the habit that often results, concentrating intake into only a few meals per day, may actually promote weight gain and higher cholesterol levels. Another reason people give for not eating breakfast is lack of time. But a healthy breakfast can be quick and easy. Wake up only 15 minutes earlier.