Is it OK to skip brekkie today?

Is our obsession with breakfast over? Source: Supplied

SKIPPING breakfast could actually be the best way for Australians to tackle obesity, fatty liver disease and other related conditions.

While it seems to go against accepted wisdom, evidence is growing that losing weight by fasting between 8pm and midday, could have health benefits beyond weight loss.

Melbourne gastroenterologist Dr Alex Hodge is due to present his surprising research at the Australian Gastroenterology Week conference tomorrow, which may eventually change dieting advice.

Dr Hodge's study involved 32 patients who were split into two groups. One group skipped breakfast and the other followed standard diet and exercise advice.

After 12 weeks, both groups lost about the same about of weight but those who fasted also reduced their waist circumference, which is one of the best indicators of liver damage.

They also had improvements in visceral fat, insulin resistance, blood pressure and other measures of liver damage.

Skipping breakfast could be the best way to lose that food baby. Source: Supplied

Dr Hodge told news.com.au that fasting might not be suitable for everyone, including children, pregnant women, the elderly or those who require insulin, but he was hopeful it could help others.

"It's cheap and relatively easy to do, you don't have to count calories but of course eating healthy doesn't hurt," he said.

Interestingly, there was no difference in calorie intake, activity levels, quality of life or hunger between the two groups.

Dr Hodge said he found that those who fasted seemed to eat the same amount of food, as they tended to eat more at lunch and dinner.

"People didn't like not having milk in their coffee ... and had a hunger bump in the morning but once they were over that, they were OK," he said.

"There were no other negative benefits we found, from such a small study of course."

Unfortunately, like most other diets, participants tended to put the weight back on once they stopped.

"When the standard care group was changed to intermittent fasting for an additional 12 weeks,

they continued to show improvements. However the fasting group started gaining weight and waist circumference when crossed over to standard care," Dr Hodge said.

You can lose weight while eating what you want. Source: News Limited

The Monash University researcher said that he hoped to get his work published in a journal and also complete a larger study that would confirm his results.

Although only 32 patients, who all had fatty liver, were involved in the current study, Dr Hodge said the results were "statistically significant".

He also hoped to include participants with metabolic issues, as it is unclear if skipping breakfast has an impact on a person's metabolism.

Dr Hodge said non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was an increasing problem currently affecting more than 5.5 million Australians.

"(It) is a red flag for other conditions — associated with three times the rate of diabetes and twice the rate of heart disease," he said.

About 5 per cent of people with the disease would go onto to develop cirrhosis.

"Anything people can do to lose some weight, and especially around the waist, will delay the onset of illness," Dr Hodge said.

AGW is the key conference of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia, the peak professional body for health professionals working in the disciplines of gastroenterology and hepatology.