Eat cake in the morning to lose weight, Israeli scientists say

TORONTO - If you’re trying to lose weight and on a strict diet void of sugar and sweets, you may have it all wrong.

Eat a piece a cake every day – just make sure it’s in the morning, Israeli scientists say in a new report that suggests this single change can lead to weight loss.

This good news study for dieters – and, well, all of mankind – out of Tel Aviv University says that dessert, as part of a balanced 600-calorie breakfast that also includes proteins and carbohydrates, can help lose weight and keep it off in the long run.

So after eggs and toast, indulge in slice of cake, chocolate or even a cookie, recommends lead author Daniela Jakubowicz, of the university’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine.

Jakubowicz and her team split 193 clinically obese, non-diabetic adults into two groups in their 32-week study. The first group was placed on a low-carb diet along with a small 300-calorie breakfast while the second group was assigned to a 600-calorie breakfast that was high in protein and carbs and included dessert. Both groups had the same caloric intake – men consumed 1,600 calories a day and women ate 1,400.

Results at the halfway point were the same for both groups: they lost an average of 33 pounds per person. But in the second half of the study, the scientists logged significant differences.

The participants who ate small, guilt-free breakfasts regained an average of 22 pounds per person while those who woke up to big breakfasts that ended in dessert lost another 15 pounds each.

By the end of the study, those who indulged in morning sweets lost an average of 40 pounds more per person compared to their counterparts.

It sounds too good to be true, but Jakubowicz offers several explanations as to why her study reported such dramatic differences between the two groups.

Eating dessert in the morning, when the body’s metabolism is at its most active and has the rest of the day to work off extra calories, played a key role.

And, as nutritionists have always said, breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it provides energy, aids in brain functioning and kick starts the body’s metabolism so it’s prepared for weight loss.

Breakfast is also the meal that most successfully regulates ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger, Jakobowicz explained in a release.

Finally, keeping away from sugar and dessert is not in a dieter’s best interests, the study notes.

Jacubowicz suggests that avoidance creates a psychological “addiction” to these foods in the long term. Eating dessert in the morning, however, could curb cravings for sinful foods for the rest of the day.

The study’s complete findings were published this week in the scientific journal, Steroids.