An Egg Based Breakfast Maintains Flexibility in Older Adults

Aging is associated with an increased risk for metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. There is reason to believe that the time of day when specific food groups are eaten affects this risk. The investigators propose that eating foods made up of fat and protein (such as eggs) in the morning for breakfast, rather than foods made up of carbohydrates (such as white-bread toast or sugary cereal) may promote a healthier metabolism. This is because the body is designed to burn fat during times of fasting, such as overnight, during sleep. Thus, the body is not prepared to burn sugar early in the morning, when most people eat breakfast. Studies with mice have shown that a sugary breakfast meal inhibits the ability of the body to burn fat for the entire day. In contrast, a breakfast meal with more fat enabled the animals to burn fat as well as other fuels throughout the day. The ability to burn fat is thought to minimize risk for obesity, as well as related diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The purpose of this study is to determine if, in older adult humans, consumption of a lower-carbohydrate breakfast meal (relative to a higher-carbohydrate meal) is associated with a healthier metabolism.