A Nutritious Breakfast for Healthy Growth and Development of Children

Daily nutritious breakfast consumption may contribute to longer-term healthy growth and development of children. Consequently, this may have a positive impact on overall school performance of children in the long term. 

Few studies from developing countries have looked into the role of breakfast and physical growth of children. Three studies, one intervention study from Jamaica (29) and two observational studies from China (30,31) reported that breakfast consumption is positively associated with linear growth of children. These studies suggest a positive relation between breakfast and growth, but the data is too limited to draw a firm conclusion. However, it can be assumed that the intake of nutritious breakfast (vs. skipping) can help to increase energy intake and nutrient intake. This increase in energy and nutrient intake may positively influence growth especially in undernourished children.