Lean vs. Overweight: Post-Breakfast-Skipping Binge is Overweight-Specific. Lean Subjects Reduce Both Energy (-26%) & Sugar Intake (14%), When They Skip Breakfast

It always hits the (already) big ones.

A recent study that was conducted by a group of researchers from the Roehampton University, and the Universities of Northampton and Hull in London took an interesting and totally overdue approach to dispel the myths that revolve around the anti-obesity effects of breakfast. In the said study, a team of researchers recruited 37 participants who were assigned to one out of four groups on the basis of their body mass index (BMI) - normal weight BMI <25 kg/m² | or overweight/obese BMI > 25 kg/m² | habitual breakfast eaters | habitual breakfast omitters.

Subsequently, even the latter, i.e. the breakfast eaters were requested  to  eat  breakfast  for  an  entire  week. The BREAKFAST week was followed by a one week wash-out and an entire  week during which the subjects had to omit breakfast.
Over the course of the whole study period, all subjects hat do keep detailed 7-day food diaries, reporting what was consumed and the timing of consumption were completed for each breakfast condition.

Figure 1: Lean (left) and overweight (right) subjects react very different to breakfast skipping (Reeves. 2014)

As the data in Figure 1 already reveals, the total energy intake was significantly higher during the breakfast than the no breakfast week. But just as the scientists say, the present study did also reveal a "significant effects of timing on energy intakes": More energy was consumed during the afternoon in the no breakfast week compared to the breakfast week.

Timing and body weight, both make a difference!

In general, overweight participants consumed greater amounts of  energy than normal weight  participants (surprise ;-) in the early evening - the effect was even more pronounced for those of them who were regular breakfast omitters and thus used to feasting in the afternoon / evening.

Overall, this sounds as if having breakfast regularly was a very good idea, but unlike some people want to make you believe, the total energy intake does count. The same is yet also true for the amount of sugar, which skyrocketed in the overweight subjects in the no breakfast week. Running around on empty and being unable to tap into their affluent energy depots on the hips and around the waist, the insulin resistant (don't tell me about "healthy obesity!") overweight part of the study participants gravitated towards readily available energy intake.
References:

• Reeves, Sue, et al. "Experimental manipulation of breakfast in normal and overweight/obese participants is associated with changes to nutrient and energy intake consumption patterns." Physiology & Behavior | Available online 24 May 2014.