Breakfast and Muscle Health in Children

One in every three children ages 2-19 years is overweight or obese. Although multifactorial in nature, obesity is primarily attributed to a mismatch between energy intake and energy expenditure (EE). Daily EE (DEE) can be partitioned between resting metabolic rate (RMR), EE associated with physical activity, and the thermic effect of food (TEF). RMR corresponds to the energy needed to sustain the body functions at rest and is also related to body composition (i.e., ratio of skeletal muscle mass to fat mass). Skeletal muscle mass is a large contributor to RMR; the more skeletal muscle mass, the higher the RMR (i.e., more energy expended at rest). In addition, muscle plays a central role in whole body protein metabolism and disrupted muscle metabolism is associated with the development of many common chronic diseases associated with obesity such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Although the contribution of disrupted muscle metabolism to chronic disease is well-established in older adults, the potential impact in children is unknown. The overall objective for this primary project application is to determine the role of breakfast protein consumption in improving energy metabolism, energy balance and skeletal muscle health in obese, school-aged children.

Appetite response to test beverages will be measured using visual analog scales. Appetite and palatability were assessed using a traditional 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) [33] with opposing anchors (e.g., "extremely hungry" or "not hungry at all") at time points 0, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min. Questions consisted of: "how hungry do you feel at this moment", "how full do you feel at this moment", "how strong is your desire to eat this moment" and "how much food do you think you can eat at this moment". A higher number is associated with increased hunger.

Change in body composition will be determined by the difference in body composition between day 1 and day 42.

Inclusion Criteria: Resides within Northwest Arkansas Age 8-12 years old BMI >5th percentile All ethnicities Exclusion Criteria: Food allergies Dietary restrictions Regularly skip breakfast (> 5 times per week) Prescription medications Claustrophobic Fear of needles Classified as a picky eater by parent/guardian