A low glycaemic load breakfast increases time on-task in young children, but the effect is short-lived and specific to the first observation period¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · reviewr3·q2
Currency · newest study 2013 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? Children spent significantly more time on-task following a low GL breakfast compared with medium and high GL breakfasts, an effect specific to the first 10 minutes of observation. → Adolphus 2013
Evidence¶
Adolphus 2013¶
Adolphus, K., Lawton, C. L., and Dye, L. (2013). The effects of breakfast on behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00425
q2 · i? · review · r3
The review describes a randomized acute experimental study (attributed to Benton et al., 2007) in 19 young children (mean age 6 years 10 months) from a low SES school comparing three isocaloric breakfasts of differing GL: "Children spent significantly more time on-task following a low GL breakfast meal compared with medium and high GL breakfast meals."
"Children spent significantly more time on-task following a low GL breakfast meal compared with medium and high GL breakfast meals. This effect was specific to the first 10 min of the observation."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- A mid-morning snack benefits on-task behavior only for children who consumed a small breakfast, correcting the energy deficiency
- Acute experimental studies show inconsistent effects of breakfast on classroom behavior, with three of seven showing an on-task advantage — related
- Breakfast consumption shows a mainly positive effect on on-task behavior in the classroom in children — a broader claim this one bears on
- Robust RCTs of school breakfast programs failed to find behavioral benefits, with low and variable attendance and a shift from at-home to at-school consumption limiting impact — reports the opposite
- School breakfast programs show suggestive positive effects on academic performance, with clearest effects on mathematics and arithmetic grades in undernourished children — related
- Quality of habitual breakfast, in terms of variety of food groups and adequate energy, is positively related to school performance — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
low-gl-breakfast-on-task-shortlived |
title |
A low glycaemic load breakfast increases time on-task in young children, but the effect is short-lived and specific to the first observation period |
description |
A low glycaemic load breakfast increases time on-task in young children, but the effect is short-lived and specific to the first observation period |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
newest_evidence |
2013 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-16 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — adolphus-2013 |
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