Objective: The objective of this study was to gain more knowledge about the breakfast habits of different groups of elderly people and to investigate the differences in breakfast habits between overweight and normal weight elderly subjects.
Methods: A study was made of the food preferences, dietary habits and the intake of energy and nutrients at breakfast in a group of 122 elderly Spanish people (65 men and 57 women) aged 75.7+/-8.7 years. Study participants were divided into two groups: overweight and obese subjects (O) with a body mass index (BMI)>or=25 kg/m2 (58% of the population), and normal weight subjects (NW) with a BMI<25 kg/m2 (42% of the population). The members of each group were further divided into subgroups according to age (>or=80 years of age (Y) and<or=79 (Z)), to determine if this factor gave rise to any differences in breakfast habits or modified existing differences between NW and O subjects.
Results: NW subjects more frequently indicated a preference for fruit (Y), juices (Y) and bread (Y and Z) as breakfast foods, and showed less preference for churros (Y) (a traditional Spanish breakfast fritter) than did O subjects. NW subjects consumed more varied breakfasts, taking both a greater number of foods and more groups of foods. They also spent a longer time eating their breakfasts and consumed greater quantities of food than did O subjects. The breakfasts of NW subjects covered a higher percentage of their theoretical energy expenditure and provided greater contributions of fiber, vitamin E and iron to meet recommended intakes than did those of O subjects. Age did not produce any statistically significant differences in subjects' breakfast habits.
Conclusion: The shorter length of time spent eating breakfast, the consumption of smaller quantities and less varied diets and the different composition of NW and O breakfasts, could indicate the existence of less healthy breakfast habits among overweight and obese subjects. It is also possible that less adequate breakfast habits contribute to the appearance and further development of obesity.