Morning Exercise and Breakfast for Child Development

Overseen By Eduardo Bustamante

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Illinois at Chicago

Disqualifiers: Age, School enrollment, Allergies

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 9

50 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how a healthy breakfast and morning exercise affect children's focus and behavior in the classroom. Researchers will compare the effects of different breakfasts (high protein or high carb) and exercise routines on students' concentration and task performance. Suitable candidates are children aged 6-11 who attend the participating school and have no dairy or gluten allergies. Participants will be divided into groups, receiving either a specific breakfast, exercise, or a combination, to determine which best supports classroom focus. As an unphased trial, this study provides a unique opportunity for children to contribute to research that could enhance their learning experience.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Previous studies have shown that morning exercise is safe and beneficial for children. Research indicates it can lead to healthier and happier kids. Just one session of moderate exercise can improve attention and focus, suggesting that morning exercise is generally well-tolerated by children.

Research shows that high-protein breakfasts are safe and help kids feel fuller after eating. One study found that children felt more full after eating a high-protein breakfast compared to before, suggesting that high-protein breakfasts are well-tolerated and can be part of a healthy diet.

For high-carb breakfasts combined with exercise, research suggests this combination can improve short-term academic and thinking skills. Eating breakfast and exercising in the morning may boost focus and energy levels, indicating that this approach is generally safe and beneficial for children.

Overall, the treatments in this study—morning exercise, high-protein breakfasts, and high-carb breakfasts—are considered safe based on previous research. They are well-tolerated by children and may offer benefits for focus and behavior in the classroom. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores how different combinations of breakfast nutrition and morning exercise might impact child development beyond traditional methods. Unlike typical recommendations that focus solely on balanced nutrition or physical activity separately, this trial investigates the combined effects of high protein or high carb breakfasts with morning exercise. It uniquely examines whether starting the day with specific nutrient compositions and physical activity can synergistically enhance children's cognitive and physical development, potentially offering a more integrated approach to improving children's health and well-being.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for improving children's focus and classroom behavior?

This trial will compare the effects of different breakfast types and morning exercise on child development. Research has shown that eating a healthy breakfast can enhance children's cognitive and emotional well-being. Children who eat breakfast regularly often perform better in school, both behaviorally and academically. Studies also indicate that exercise helps children focus and succeed academically. In this trial, some participants will receive a high-protein breakfast, while others will receive a high-carb breakfast. Additionally, some groups will combine their breakfast with morning exercise. Combining breakfast with morning exercise can lead to better short-term school performance, especially in math. Even a simple morning exercise routine can noticeably improve a child's focus and behavior in class. Overall, both breakfast and exercise hold promise for boosting children's performance in school. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Eduardo Bustamante

Principal Investigator

University of Illinois Chicago

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for children to explore how a healthy breakfast and morning exercise might affect their focus and behavior in the classroom. Kids must be able to eat both high-protein and high-carb meals, participate in physical activity, and commit to a one-week study period.

Inclusion Criteria

Enrolled at the participating school

I am between 6 and 11 years old.

Exclusion Criteria

Allergic to dairy or gluten

Not enrolled in a participating school

I am older than 12 years.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1 week

3 visits (in-person)

Baseline Testing

Children's classroom behavior, cognition, and brain blood flow are assessed to establish baseline measurements

1 week

3 visits (in-person)

Intervention

Children receive assigned interventions of breakfast and/or exercise, with classroom behavior and cognitive function monitored

1 week

3 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

1 week

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• High Carb Breakfast
• High Protein Breakfast
• Morning Exercise

Trial Overview The study tests the combined effect of a nutritious breakfast and morning exercise on child development. It randomly assigns kids into four groups: both interventions, just breakfast, just exercise, or neither. Their attention during class and brain blood flow are monitored.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Exercise and High Protein Breakfast Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Children in this group will be given given breakfast each morning at 7:30 am and participate in a 30-minute bout of physically active games of moderate to vigorous intensity at 8 am. Nutrition Intervention. For 5 days children will receive a high protein breakfast comprised of baked items (i.e. waffles with syrup) and Greek yogurt. The high protein meal will aim for 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 20% fat. Meals will be served with a cup of water. Exercise Intervention. For 5 days, a 30-min physical activity bout including a 5-minute warm up and cool down will be provided to participants in this group. The aim is for students to achieve an average heart rate above 150 for the session, not including warm up or cool down. To monitor intensity, the participant will wear heart rate monitors around their chest and waist-worn accelerometers

Group II: High Protein Breakfast Only Active Control 1 Intervention

Nutrition Intervention. For 5 days children will receive a high protein breakfast comprised of baked items (i.e. waffles with syrup) and Greek yogurt. The high protein meal will aim for 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 20% fat. Meals will be served with a cup of water.

Group III: Exercise and High Carb Breakfast Active Control 2 Interventions

Exercise Intervention. For 5 days, a 30-min physical activity bout including a 5-minute warm up and cool down will be provided to participants in this group. The aim is for students to achieve an average heart rate above 150 for the session, not including warm up or cool down. To monitor intensity, the participant will wear heart rate monitors around their chest and waist-worn accelerometers. For 5 days children will receive a high carb breakfast that will be comprised of 15% protein, 65% carbohydrates and 20% fat. Total energy content, fat, sugar, fiber, energy density, are similar between the breakfast meals.

Group IV: High Carb Breakfast Only Placebo Group 1 Intervention

For 5 days children will receive a high carb breakfast that will be comprised of 15% protein, 65% carbohydrates and 20% fat. Total energy content, fat, sugar, fiber, energy density, are similar between the breakfast meals.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Illinois at Chicago

Lead Sponsor

Trials

653

Recruited

1,574,000+

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Collaborator

Trials

203

Recruited

40,600+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8068805/

Breakfast and Exercise Improve Academic and Cognitive ... This study examined the combined effects of breakfast and exercise on short-term academic and cognitive performance in adolescents.

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2161831322007475

The Effects of Breakfast and Breakfast Composition on ... The findings suggest that breakfast consumption relative to fasting has a short-term (same morning) positive domain-specific effect on cognition.

3. bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-024-02327-y

Systematic review on the effects of exercise with and without ... The objective of this systematic review was to review the current evidence on the effects of acute exercise with and without morning breakfast consumption on ...

4. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/morning-exercise-and-breakfast-for-child-development-e8ed7

Morning Exercise and Breakfast for Child Development Research shows that eating breakfast and doing morning exercise can improve short-term academic and cognitive performance in adolescents, particularly in math ...

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3737458/

The effects of breakfast on behavior and academic ... Breakfast has been suggested to positively affect learning in children in terms of behavior, cognitive, and school performance.

6. mdpi.com mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/2/300

The Impact of Breakfast Consumption or Omission on ... Results: These findings suggest that breakfast consumption may benefit acute long-duration (>60 min) but not short-duration (<60 min) morning endurance exercise ...

7. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/45494796_Associations_between_habitual_school-day_breakfast_consumption_body_mass_index_physical_activity_and_cardiorespiratory_fitness_in_English_schoolchildren

(PDF) Associations between habitual school-day breakfast ... The aim of this study was to assess associations between habitual school-day breakfast consumption, body mass index (BMI), physical activity ...

8. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10894097/

Early morning physical activity is associated with healthier ... From a public health perspective, implementing an early morning exercise intervention may generate healthier brains and happier children. Educational and health ...