Its set of more than 100 third through eighth graders, who were given the chance to eat a free breakfast at school for four months, were mildly to moderately undernourished. The researchers kept track of which kids in the study group ate the school breakfast often, sometimes, or rarely. At the end of the term, students who ate breakfast more often than before the study were more likely to see a jump in their math grades. Frequent breakfasters also averaged a letter grade higher in math than those in the study who reported eating breakfast only occasionally. Teachers and parents reported that incidences of tardiness, absenteeism, and hyperactivity dropped among the breakfast eaters, who themselves claimed that their feelings of anxiety and depression decreased.
Nutritionists explain that it's the brain's first shot of fuel for the day.
Our brains run on glucose, or blood sugar, stored up overnight. There's a nutritional toll as well. Studies show that 75 percent of kids who skip breakfast never catch up on daily requirements for calcium, and a third fall short on protein. The breakfast in the study consisted of cereal, milk, bread or muffin, and a fruit or fruit juice. In the average American home, it's more likely to consist of doughnuts or Oreo cookies in milk.