Scientists Find Ideal Breakfast for Men Versus Women to Stay Energized
For years we’ve heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Passing on your kid’s Pop-Tart and opting for a healthy mix of proteins, carbs, and fats is already starting the day off on the right foot. But it appears what constitutes a well-rounded breakfast for men versus women isn’t the same thing, especially when it comes to sustaining energy throughout the morning.
It all boils down to metabolism—the chemical reaction that transforms food into energy.
In the study, published in Computers in Biology and Medicine, researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada used a mathematical model to simulate the effect of various meals on men’s and women’s metabolisms. The purpose of the study was to fill existing gaps in research on how men and women metabolize fats differently, which researchers claim is a direct indicator of various disease risks.
Turns out a carb-rich meal for men and a fat-rich breakfast for women is optimal for energy levels and overall health, researchers found.
Men’s metabolisms may respond best to a carbohydrate-rich breakfast like oatmeal with blueberries, women’s seem to respond best to a breakfast high in fats (think avocado toast with eggs).
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“Existing knowledge seems to present a paradox: Women tend to preserve more fat than men during the absorptive period, but exhibit significantly higher fat oxidation during the post-absorptive period,” senior investigator of the study Anita T. Layton, PhD, told Medical News Today. “Our model can guide tailored, sex-specific dietary recommendations that optimize metabolic health and prevent complications like post-prandial hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. Simulations can be done to see how a specific body may respond to meals of all kinds of compositions.”
Simply put, women tend to store more fat which is no surprise. According to Web MD, the optimal body fat percentage for women is somewhere between 16 to 33 percent depending on height, age, etc. Men on the other hand can sit anywhere between 7 and 25 percent.
What was surprising though was that according to Layton women tend to burn more fat during prolonged exercise and metabolize fat more efficiently in a meal after a fast.
While everyone should have a well-rounded breakfast to start their day, this study shows that tailoring the first meal of your day depending on your biology may be essential for keeping energy levels up throughout the day.
Related: A Coffee Nap Is More Effective at Boosting Energy Than Either Alone