“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and supper like a popper”

We have all heard this saying before, but does it hold any merit and validity to supporting metabolic health?

Many people role their eyes at the idea of eating breakfast nowadays, especially since the uprise of intermittent fasting in more recent years to increase a process called “autophagy”, aka a process in which allows your body to break down and reuse old cell parts so your cells can operate more efficiently .

BUT, did you know we can stimulate autophagy beyond of just intermittent fasting, whilst keeping breakfast in the mix?

Things like exercise, specifically building anabolic muscle, drinking green tea, getting adequate and proper sleep can all stimulate autophagy..

Furthermore, men and women do not function the same way.

I don’t know how many times I am going to have to say this, but we are not physiologically built the same way, meaning we cannot handle the same type of stress.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN WOMEN ARE WEAKER.

Load off and listen.

For the purpose of procreation (whether you want kids or not, it’s just how your body is built, and its purpose from millions of years ago before we weren’t just wired to survive) women’s bodies cannot withstand certain levels and kinds of stressors so as to maintain optimal fertility.

This looks like:

Not being able to get too lean

Not being able to go without food for too long

Not being able to handle stress without feeling emotions

Chronic stress and over-activity on the HPA axis, particularly through skipping breakfast, has been shown to increase one’s risk for poor cardiometabolic health. We’ve seen in female rodents it causes elevated circulating corticosterone when it is meant to be decreasing. This study was run, hypothesizing that habitual breakfast skippers would display a similar pattern. As a result, both diastolic and systolic blood pressure were elevated and also had higher circulating cortisol from morning to midafternoon and during the afternoon for a snack Furthermore, the lunch-induced cortisol reaction was larger in the ‘skippers’. This showed an increase chance of developing cardiometabolic diseases.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise because, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and their body clock organ, we have our most optimal capacity to breakdown and absorb nutrients in the morning- hence why breakfast is so vital.

The times between 7am-9am is the time of The Stomach. According to TCM we are secreting the most stomach acid and we are our most insulin sensitive at these times. Meaning; we have the highest capacity to breakdown and absorb nutrients and protein, as well as process carbs, to prepare us for the day, which will help balance blood sugar and off set a cortisol spike.

Cortisol is at its highest in the morning to give us energy but if we don’t eat, it will trigger a catabolism and have our bodies eat itself for energy.

We also have our highest capacity to synthesize protein in the morning which can help with muscle building and fat loss.

Here is another study showing how breakfast can actually help mitigate blood sugar issues, specifically Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and how food frequency and timing helps with supporting circadian rhythm aka our sleep and wake cycle.

They showed here that participants eating their first meal before 8AM vs those eating after 9AM had a higher incidence of T2D. Each additional eating episode was associated with a lower incidence of T2D.

But wait, can this influence our sex hormones too?

Yup.

Because the second you mess up blood sugar regulation, cortisol patterns. or your ability to absorb nutrients optimally, your hormones will naturally just fall apart.

LISTEN TO ME. HORMONES ARE NEVER THE ROOT CAUSE TO YOUR PROBLEM. THERE IS ALWAYS A BIGGER STRESSOR.

Glad we understand each other.

Here’s an example of how breakfast can be supportive for women if they’re struggling with their fertility.

Important to note this study was not done on overweight women!

The study focused on giving participants a larger breakfasts and smaller dinner, assuming it would lower insulin, glucose, and triglycerides levels as it has been shown in other studies, including men and overweight women.

60 women with PCOS were randomly assigned to one of two 1,800 calorie maintenance diets with identical foods. The first group ate a 983 calorie breakfast, a 645 calorie lunch, and a 190 calorie dinner. The second group had a 190 calorie breakfast, a 645 calorie lunch, and 983 calorie dinner. After 90 days, the researchers tested their insulin, glucose, and testosterone levels as well as ovulation and menstruation.

No one lost weight in the study, however participants in the “big dinner” group maintained consistently high levels of insulin and testosterone throughout the study where as those in the “big breakfast” group experienced a 56% decrease in insulin resistance and a 50% decrease in testosterone.

This reduction of insulin and testosterone levels led to a 50 percent rise in ovulation rate, indicated by a rise in progesterone, by the end of the study.

How? Because higher levels of insulin, which can be triggered by excess cortisol, can stimulate an over production of free flowing androgens and inhibit progesterone secretion.

If you’re looking to get some support with your hormones, definitely consider working with me and I can help!