Mathematical model demonstrates how breakfast nutrition affects men's and women鈥檚 health and energy levels
It鈥檚 not a bad thing if you pick a toasted bagel for breakfast, while your partner chooses eggs. In fact, according to a new study from the University of 蓝莓视频, that difference could help you lose some weight.
The study, which employed a mathematical model of men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 metabolisms, showed that men鈥檚 metabolisms respond better on average to a meal laden with high carbohydrates like oats and grains after fasting for several hours, while women are better served by a meal with a higher percentage of fat, such as omelettes and avocados.
鈥淟ifestyle is a big factor in our overall health,鈥� said St茅phanie Abo, an Applied Mathematics PhD candidate and the lead author of the study. 鈥淲e live busy lives, so it鈥檚 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鈥檚 impact on your metabolism is important.鈥�
The study builds on an existing gap in research on sex differences in how men and women process fat. 鈥淲e often have less research data on women鈥檚 bodies than on men鈥檚 bodies,鈥� said Anita Layton, a professor of Applied Mathematics and Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematical Biology and Medicine.
鈥淏y 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.鈥�
鈥淪ince women have more body fat on average than men, you would think that they would burn less fat for energy, but they don鈥檛,鈥� said Layton. 鈥淭he results of the model suggest that women store more fat immediately after a meal but also burn more fat during a fast.鈥�
Going forward, the researchers hope to build more complex versions of their metabolism models and extend beyond the consideration of biological sex by incorporating an individual鈥檚 weight, age, or stage in the menstrual cycle.
The study, 鈥� appears in Computers in Biology and Medicine.
