Skipping Breakfast Might Negatively Effect Physical Balance

Physical balance is critical to all of the activities we do every day and the loss of our ability to balance our bodies properly can negatively impact athletic performance and overall quality of life. 

A new study (free to download or read online) examined the relationship between fasting and the ability of young women to maintain physical balance.  In this study, female volunteers (22 years of age on average) were asked to undergo both a fasting and non-fasting procedure at different times and their ability to balance was assessed under both conditions.  For the fasting procedure, the study volunteers were required to consume an evening meal before 8:00 pm and to eat nothing else until after balance testing was completed between 9:00 - 11:00 am the next morning.  This procedure mimicked a common fasting scenario... skipping breakfast.  Two types of balance were tested, static balance and dynamic balance.  Static balance was tested by asking study volunteers to stand flat-footed and to reach as far ahead as possible without their heels leaving the ground.  Dynamic balance was tested by having the subjects stand on one leg with eyes open and with eyes closed and balance on both legs was tested.

The results of this study showed that:

• Overall, the fasted trials showed a consistently poorer ability to balance compared to the non-fasted trials.
• In the functional reach test, fasting reduced the distance reached before losing balance.
• In the single limb standing test, the ability to balance on either the dominant or non-dominant leg with eyes open was reduced by fasting.
• Fasting also reduced the ability to balance on the dominant leg with eyes closed.

These are interesting results that suggest skipping breakfast might negatively effect one's physical ability to balance properly.  Skipping breakfast is a common, though less than healthy weight management technique among many people.  This study provides additional information on the importance of eating a good breakfast.  The study investigators indicate that a small impairment in the ability to balance might not impact daily activities in healthy, young individuals; however, they do suggest that these impairments might have a substantial impact on athletes or older individuals.

Breakfast is an important part of any weight loss strategy and studies have reported that breakfast eaters have more weight loss success.  My bars and shakes make an excellent breakfast choice, particularly if you are short on time and need something quick and convenient.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more.