The Effects of Different Breakfasts on Mood, Satiety, and Cognitive Function among White-collar Workers in China: A Randomized Cross-over Study

Abstract Background Breakfast is considered of vital importance for health and working performance, however, previous studies reported that most people don’t eat breakfast every day. White-collar workers bear heavy mental work in their daily work, the breakfast is also important for them. To our knowledge, there are few or no studies on the relationship between breakfast intake and glucose level, mood, satiety, and cognitive function among white-collar workers, especially among the Chinese population. We therefore evaluate the impact of different-size breakfasts with differing types of food and quality on blood glucose, mood, satiety, and cognitive function among white-collar workers in Chongqing, China. Methods This was a field-based study using a randomized cross-over trial design. On every Monday for three successive weeks, 48 white-collar workers received different types of breakfast in a counterbalanced order. For all individuals, mood, and satiety were assessed using positive affect and negative affect scale visual analogue scales two hours after breakfast, respectively. Four cognitive function tests were applied to evaluate the capacity of short-term memory, learning and working memory, attention, and language logic. These cognitive function tests included the digit span test, digit-symbol substitution test, letter cancellation test, and grammatical transformation test. Results All participants who had breakfast (standard breakfast or light breakfast) presented a higher blood glucose level and a more satisfying feeling than those who had no breakfast (p < 0.05) across the experimental day. Based on the digit symbol test, women who had standard breakfast had a more powerful learning and working memory capacity than those who had light breakfast or skipped breakfast (p < 0.05). Conclusion Among white-collar workers, having breakfast is necessary and can exert a positive effect on people’s satiety. For women, having a standard breakfast is beneficial to maintain their learning and working memory function.