Men and women may need different breakfasts if they want to lose weight

Unsurprisingly, most studies have been aimed at understanding how consumption different food groups were carried out with men. For this reason, two biologists from University of Waterloo Recently they decided to conduct a more complete investigation, in which women also took part. They did this using computer models, an unusual method in this type of research. This allowed them to test which foods would provide more energy and more effective weight loss for men and women. In addition, they analyzed what it would be like perfect breakfast for each gender.

It makes sense that breakfast isn’t everything. We need to consider the foods we consume throughout the day. However, since this is usually first meal what we consume is interesting to improve our energy intake so that we can make the most of our day.

This analysis showed that the ideal breakfast for men is richer in carbohydrates, such as grains, and for women it is richer. fats should predominate. For example, avocados or nuts. So how did they come to this conclusion? Will anything happen if we eat a breakfast different from the one that corresponds to our gender?

Computational science can help you find the perfect breakfast

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions through which the cells of our body obtain or use energy. As a rule, nutrients coming from food. On the other hand, products called metaboliteswhich are sometimes very useful and sometimes should be omitted.

If we spend more energy than we consume, using fat reserves, it is normal for us to lose weight. But in addition, the energy we get from food helps us perform many things. important functions for the body.

It should be noted that metabolism cells of men and women This is different. It is true that many genetic or acquired factors intervene; But generally speaking, gender is an important differentiating factor. However, as we already mentioned, most of the studies on this topic were conducted with men. Therefore, thinking about the ideal breakfast, Your data prevails.

Fortunately, new research has been conducted in recent years that has led to a much better understanding of women’s metabolism. Therefore, the authors of a recent study used the data obtained from these studies to conduct computational model which calculates weight loss or energy gain using different nutrients and food groups.

This model included metabolic reactions occurring in different organsfrom the heart to the liver, passing through, among other things, the gastrointestinal tract, skeletal muscle or adipose tissue. They were also taken into account as parameters various types of metabolites, including glucose, glycogen, insulin and free fatty acids. It was clear how they all changed both during meals and during fasting.

What were the conclusions?

After changing the parameters of the model designed for men and women, they saw some interesting data. For example, given that women on average have more body fat One would expect that they do not burn it for energy, but rather seek to store it. However, it has been observed that although they store a lot of fat while eating, they also burn it more efficiently when fasting.

Therefore, the ideal women’s breakfast contains a lot of fat. Because when they don’t eat, they burn it very efficiently to get energy. On the other hand, men are better at processing the energy gained from a carbohydrate-rich breakfast.

What should I do if I don’t eat my ideal breakfast?

This study is very interesting because it shows that we were wrong in thinking that it was sufficient to study the metabolism of half the population. Who would have thought? You can also give good ideas for breakfast. However, if you already have a habit of eating a number of foods and they don’t quite match your ideal breakfast, nothing will happen either. It is important to have sufficient amounts of all nutrients. Perhaps you are a woman and like cereals that contain much more carbohydrates than fats. But if, for example, you add some peanut butter, you will already have added fat intake very interesting.

Or maybe you are a man and your ideal breakfast, at least in terms of taste, is an omelette with avocado. Not bad. But accompany it with whole grain bread, because for breakfast Carbohydrates are especially important.

The key, regardless of your gender, is balance. We also shouldn’t gorge ourselves on just one nutrient, but rather take in adequate contributions from each and perhaps enhance those that research shows are most beneficial to us.