Breakfast really does matter, according to new research from Tufts that shows kids who eat oatmeal for breakfast perform better on memory tests.

Medford/Somerville, Mass. [12.10.01] -- There appears to be some scientific proof to the adage: a good breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In a three week study of children aged 9-11, Tufts researchers found that students who ate hot oatmeal performed better on spatial memory tasks than those that ate ready-to-eat cereal or no breakfast at all.

   "Once a week, [30 boys and girls] ate either instant oatmeal or cold cereal for breakfast, or had no breakfast at all," reported the Tampa Tribune. "Sixty minutes later, they were tested by recalling country names on a map. The study found that 68 percent of the children performed better after eating oatmeal as opposed to no breakfast. And 57 percent performed better after eating oatmeal instead of cold cereal."

   The study also found that students who ate any kind of breakfast showed better short-term memory, visual perception and spatial memory, reported the newspaper.

   "Oatmeal's whole grain, high fiber and protein attributes are believed to be some of the primary factors in increasing spatial memory performance in young children," said Tufts' Robin Kanarek, a professor of psychology and nutrition and a co-author of the study.

   According to the Tufts' Caroline Busch -- a graduate student at Tufts and the study's lead researcher, the children appeared to perform best after eating oatmeal because it supplies a steady stream of glucose to their brains.

   "Because of the differences between instant oatmeal and the sugared cereal, we suspect the oatmeal provides a slower, and more sustained source of energy," she said. "It can be argued that the longer blood glucose levels remain high, the longer the time frame of cognitive enhancement."

   Using the research, scientists may better understand the way different foods impact the brain.

   "This study has led to a greater understanding of how nutrition can positively affect a child's ability to learn," said Kanarek, who added that parents may want to carefully consider what they feed their children before sending them to school.