The meal is not needed to kick-start the day or wake up, as the internal body clock 'secretes the chemicals that help us wake up and get out of bed — whether we have breakfast or not', she said.
Results from large studies which find breakfast-eaters are the healthiest are often down to other factors rather than the meal itself, such as sleeping patterns, according to Dr Amati.
Toast with jam, ultra-processed breakfast cereals, snack bars, pastries and smoothies all provide 'plenty of available sugars but not enough protein, fibre and healthy fats to be considered a complete meal', Dr Amati said.
For example, a 45g serving of Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Chocolate Clusters has nearly half of an adult's sugar allowance but just five per cent of fibre and seven per cent of protein recommended per day.
Dr Amati said: 'Eating a high-sugar meal on an empty stomach will often result in many of us feeling hungry and tired within a couple of hours of the meal when all of the sugar has been absorbed and our body is left wanting for other nutrients.
