Teenagers Lose Breakfast, Gain Pounds

Edited by Tara Fitzpatrick

More Than Half of Teen Girls Skip Breakfast, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health's Project Eating Among Teens.

About a third of their male counterparts also skip breakfast. The study also found that teenage boys and girls who hurry out the door each morning without having a bite to eat are more likely to be obese.

Researchers followed 2,200 adolescents for five years, and discovered that breakfast eaters are thinner, more active, and have lower body mass indexes than those who wait until lunch to eat. One theory is that skipping the first meal of the day causes people to overeat later.