A new study has found that the metabolism of men and women are different and hence, eating different foods at breakfast time can help you get the required nutrition that benefits your health as well as helps you lose weight. The study was published in the journal Computers in Biology and Medicine and conducted by researchers from the University of Waterloo, Canada.

The researchers used mathematical models of metabolism to understand how the sex of an individual influences their diet and dieting. For this, the researchers considered the most important meal of the day,’ breakfast.

Stéphanie Abo, a PhD candidate in applied mathematics and the study’s corresponding author said, “Lifestyle is a big factor in our overall health. We live busy lives, so it’s important to understand how seemingly inconsequential decisions, such as what to have for breakfast, can affect our health and energy levels. Whether attempting to lose weight, maintain weight, or just keep up your energy, understanding your diet’s impact on your metabolism is important.”

According to a report in News Atlas, there are six basic nutrients essential for proper body functioning and maintaining overall health; carbohydrates, proteins, lipids (fats), vitamins, minerals, and water.

For the study, the researchers used a sex-specific, whole-body mathematical model of metabolism that simulated the dynamics of key metabolites after various mixed meals. They aimed to quantify sex differences in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism at the whole-body level and propose mechanisms that drove these differences.

Anita Layton, a Waterloo professor of applied mathematics who co-led the study with Abo said, “By building mathematical models based on the data we do have, we can test lots of hypotheses quickly and tweak experiments in ways that would be impractical with human subjects.”

The researchers calculated their model using data from experiments involving both high- and low-carbohydrate and high- and low-fat meals to ensure that the parameters of the model were robust and reflected real physiological processes. They found that sex-related metabolic differences were more pronounced after short-term fasting.

After fasting for several hours, men’s metabolisms responded better, on average, to a meal that was high in carbs like a breakfast of something like oats or grains. Women, on the other hand, were better off eating a brekkie with a higher percentage of fat, like an omelette or an avocado.

The findings suggest that differences in how the liver and adipose tissue store nutrients drive these differences in metabolism between the sexes. Layton said, “Since women have more body fat on average than men, you would think that they would burn less fat for energy, but they don’t. The results of the model suggest that women store more fat immediately after a meal but also burn more fat during a fast.”

The researchers highlight that their model’s accurate prediction of real-world metabolic responses to mixed meals has significant potential. It can help in making personalised nutrition strategies, improve research on metabolic diseases and aid drug development by simulating metabolic responses to new treatments.

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