Researchers at Oxford Brookes University in England studied 38 children ages ages 8 to 11, randomly divided into two groups eating either a low-glycemic index breakfast or a high-glycemic index breakfast -- carefully matched for calories, fat, protein, carbohydrate and dietary fiber content -- on two non-consecutive weekdays over 10 weeks. The groups then swapped over for a further 10 weeks.

The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, found, on average, the children ate less over the days when they were given a low-glycemic index breakfast, compared with the days when they received a high-glycemic index breakfast.

In addition, during the 10-week period when the children were receiving the low glycemic index breakfasts two days per week, they also ate less on the other days, when they could choose their own breakfast.

Low glycemic foods included most fruit and vegetables, except potatoes; wholegrains; basmati rice and pasta and high glycemic foods include corn flakes, baked potato, some white rices and white bread.