Lead
"Your brain won't work if you skip breakfast" — this has been said at school tables and kitchen tables for generations. Observational data do show that children who eat breakfast tend to have better academic outcomes. But does making a child eat breakfast cause their performance to improve?
These two questions look similar. They are surprisingly different to answer. Sorting out what the evidence can and cannot claim is more useful to a parent navigating a real morning than either blanket reassurance or alarm.