12,316 adults in the NHANES study provided information on their health habits, diet, height, and weight. The study authors analyzed this information to determine how eating breakfast may affect diet choices during the rest of the day and our waistlines over the long run. Female participants who reported eating breakfast regularly were thinner than non-breakfast eaters. And those who ate a low-energy-density breakfast, such as whole grain cereal, tended to eat lower energy density foods throughout the rest of the day. This research was sponsored by the Breakfast Research Institute, an industry-sponsored group that funds health and nutrition research.