Eating a protein-packed breakfast every day may prevent overweight teens from gaining more weight, according to a recent study.

Researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine found that a high protein breakfast prevents gains of body fat, reduces daily food intake and feelings of hunger, and stabilizes glucose levels among overweight teens who would normally skip breakfast, The Business Standard reported.

"This study examined if the type of breakfast consumed can improve weight management in young people who habitually skip breakfast," Heather Leidy, lead author of the study, said in a statement. "Generally, people establish eating behaviors during their teen years. If teens are able to develop good eating habits now, such as eating breakfast, it's likely to continue the rest of their lives."

For the study, researchers recruited overweight teens who reported skipping breakfast between five and seven times a week, foodnavigator.com reported. They were given either normal-protein breakfast meals or high-protein breakfast meals.

The normal-protein breakfast meal was milk and cereal and contained 13 grams of protein. The high-protein breakfast meals included eggs, dairy and lean pork that contained 35 grams of protein.

A third group of teens continued to skip breakfast for 12 weeks.

"The group of teens who ate high-protein breakfasts reduced their daily food intake by 400 calories and lost body fat mass, while the groups who ate normal-protein breakfast or continued to skip breakfast gained additional body fat," Leidy said. "These results show that when individuals eat a high-protein breakfast, they voluntarily consume less food the rest of the day. In addition, teens who ate high-protein breakfast had more stable glucose levels than the other groups."

Leidy says large fluctuations in glucose levels are associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes among young people, which can make health complications associated with weight gain more intense.

Their body weight and body composition were measured at the beginning and end of the 12-week period. In addition, the participants wore a device that assessed minute-to-minute glucose levels throughout the day.

The findings are detailed in the Journal of Obesity.