Dr Mark Pereira and colleagues at Harvard Medical School analyzed the eating habits of 1,198 black people and 1,633 white participants.

Their study found that people who eat whole-grain cereals every morning are among those most likely to see the health benefits.

Health benefits discovered

They found that people who ate breakfast every day were a third less likely to be obese compared to those who skipped the meal.

In addition, eating breakfast will make you half as likely to have blood-sugar problems, which increase the risk of developing diabetes or having high cholesterol, which is a known risk factor for heart disease.

Eating first thing in the morning will help to stabilize blood sugar levels, which regulate appetite and energy.

The study also suggests that eating breakfast makes you less hungry during the rest of the day and are, therefore, less likely to overeat.

UK evidence

The British Dietetic Association said the findings added to the growing body of evidence in support of eating breakfast every morning.

“There is a lot of scientific evidence behind this,” spokeswoman Catherine Collins told.

“Obviously the traditional fry-up is too fat and calorie rich to aid weight control, but cereals and toast are of benefit.

“Breakfast can be a very good source of vitamins. Many processed cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals which people can find it difficult to get elsewhere if they are just having two meals a day.”