Symposium overview: do we all eat breakfast and is it important?

Besides genetic and environmental factors, the breakfast meal and the frequency in which it is eaten may influence appetite control, dietary intake and composition, and chronic disease risk. Breakfast skipping may lead to up-regulation of appetite, possibly leading to weight gain over time and deleterious changes in risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Breakfast skipping has also been linked to poorer overall diet quality. Regular breakfast consumption, on the other hand, may reduce the risk of chronic diseases due to the potential impact on the composition of the overall diet, and is also associated with improved learning abilities and better school performance in children. Considering the trend to skip, or to have nutritionally inadequate breakfast, suggestions to promote and support breakfast in children and adolescents will be considered.