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CompletedNCT03979027Updated Jun 7, 2019

Acute Effects of Breakfast Compared With No Breakfast on Cognitive Function and Subjective State in 11-13 Year Old Children

An interventional study of Breakfast: ready-to-eat-cereal and milk in Healthy, sponsored by University of Leeds. Completed at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 11 Years to 13 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-06-07.

Sponsored by University of Leeds · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 8 years 4 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jan 2011, registered Jun 2019).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
234
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
11 Years to 13 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study is a school-based, randomised, controlled, parallel groups trial to examine the acute effect of breakfast (ready-to-eat-cereal and milk) vs. no breakfast on cognitive function and subjective state in 11-13 year old adolescents. It was hypothesised that the consumption of breakfast will have a positive acute effect on cognitive performance and subjective state compared with breakfast omission in 11-13 year olds.

Read the detailed description

This study is a school-based, randomised, controlled, parallel groups trial to examine the acute effect of breakfast (ready-to-eat-cereal and milk) vs. no breakfast on cognitive function and subjective state in 11-13 year old adolescents. It was hypothesised that the consumption of breakfast will have a positive acute effect on cognitive performance and subjective state compared with breakfast omission in 11-13 year olds. The study sample consisted of males and females aged 11-13 years who were recruited to take part in the study from a UK secondary school. There were two conditions in this parallel groups study: Breakfast and No breakfast (fasting). The breakfast intervention consisted of ad libitum intake of ready-to-eat-cereal with milk. Cognitive function was assessed at baseline and +70 and +215 minutes post-intervention. The Cambridge Neuro-psychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB; Cambridge Cognition Ltd) was used to assess cognitive function. The battery included: Simple Reaction Time (SRT), 5-Choice Reaction Time (5-CRT), Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVIP), and Paired Associates Learning (PAL), which measured reaction time, visual-sustained attention, and visual-spatial memory respectively. Concomitant ratings of subjective mood, alertness, satiety, and motivation were taken throughout the morning using eight unipolar Visual Analogue Scales

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Conditions studied

  • Healthy

Keywords

  • Cognition
03

In context

Lead sponsor

University of Leeds is the lead sponsor of 200 studies on the registry; 25 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
11 Years to 13 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Eligibility criteria

The inclusion criteria were as follows: aged 11-13 years, willingness to consume RTEC with semi-skimmed cow's milk during the study, ability to follow verbal and written instructions in English, and normal vision with appropriate corrective lenses if required. The exclusion criteria were as follows: inability to understand the objective of the cognitive tests or carry out the tests, behavioural difficulties or attention disorders, administration of any psychotropic medication in the month prior to testing or during testing, food allergies or intolerances which prevent consumption of RTEC and milk (e.g. coeliac, lactose intolerance), acute illness or feeling unwell within the week prior to testing or during testing, and hearing impairment that precluded the normal use of headphones.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
234 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    No Breakfast

    Fasting. Ad libitum water intake permitted.

  • Experimental
    Breakfast

    Ad libitum intake of ready-to-eat-cereal with milk. Participants were given a choice of four commercially available RTECs with 1.8% fat cow's milk. Ad libitum water intake was also permitted. The four ready-to-eat-cereals were corn flakes, toasted rice, shredded whole wheat pieces with a sugar topping, and wheat, corn and oat shapes.

    Dietary Supplement: Breakfast: ready-to-eat-cereal and milk

Interventions

  • Dietary supplementBreakfast: ready-to-eat-cereal and milk
06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline Paired Associates Learning (PAL) performance

    Paired Associates Learning (PAL) task was administered on individual touchscreen portable computers.

    Time frame: baseline, 70 minutes post-intervention.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Simple Reaction Time task performance

    Reaction time assessed by Simple Reaction Time (SRT) task. The task was administered on individual touchscreen portable computers.

    Time frame: baseline, 70 minutes and 215 minutes post-intervention

  2. 5-Choice Reaction Time task performance

    Reaction time assessed by 5-Choice Reaction Time (5-CRT) task. The task was administered on individual touchscreen portable computers.

    Time frame: baseline, 70 minutes and 215 minutes post-intervention

  3. Rapid Visual Information Processing task (RVIP) performance

    Visual sustained attention assessed by Rapid Visual Information Processing task (RVIP). The task was administered on individual touchscreen portable computers.

    Time frame: baseline, 70 minutes and 215 minutes post-intervention

  4. Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of hunger

    The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome

    Time frame: baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention

  5. Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of cheerfulness

    The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.

    Time frame: baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention

  6. Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of energy

    The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome.

    Time frame: baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention

  7. Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of motivation to try hard

    The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome

    Time frame: baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention

  8. Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of ease of distraction

    The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome

    Time frame: baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention

  9. Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of ease of focusing

    The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome

    Time frame: baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention

  10. Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of feeling of awake

    The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome

    Time frame: baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention

  11. Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of bad temperedness

    The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their current state. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome

    Time frame: baseline, 15 minutes, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention

  12. Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of cognitive test battery difficulty

    The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their cognitive test battery experience. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome

    Time frame: baseline, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention

  13. Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of concentration during the cognitive test battery

    The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their cognitive test battery experience. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome

    Time frame: baseline, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention

  14. Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of performance on the cognitive test battery

    The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their cognitive test battery experience. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome

    Time frame: baseline, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention

  15. Subjective unipolar visual analogue scale ratings of frustration during the cognitive test battery

    The unipolar Visual Analogue Scale is a horizontal line, 100mm in length, anchored by the extreme intensities of a single subjective feeling (e.g. 'not at all' to 'very'). The participant marks on the line at the point that they feel represents their perception of their cognitive test battery experience. Participants responded to each Visual Analogue Scale using a touch screen computer by moving the cursor along a 100mm line with extreme anchors at each end. The initial location of the cursor was at the 50mm mark. There were 100 points on the scale, yielding possible scores of 0-100. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome

    Time frame: baseline, 70 minutes, and 215 minutes post-intervention

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Human Appetite Research Unit, University of Leeds
    Leeds, West Yorkshire LS29JT, United Kingdom
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Adolphus K, Hoyland A, Walton J, Quadt F, Lawton CL, Dye L. Ready-to-eat cereal and milk for breakfast compared with no breakfast has a positive acute effect on cognitive function and subjective state in 11-13-year-olds: a school-based, randomised, controlled, parallel groups trial. Eur J Nutr. 2021 Sep;60(6):3325-3342. doi: 10.1007/s00394-021-02506-2. Epub 2021 Feb 20. PubMed 33609174 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 7, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03979027
Lead sponsor
University of Leeds
Collaborators
Kellogg Company
Responsible party
Prof Louise Dye (Professor Louise Dye, University of Leeds) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jun 7, 2019
Start date
Jan 4, 2011
Primary completion
Apr 28, 2011
Completion
Apr 28, 2011
Last update
Jun 7, 2019

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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