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Fasting, HonestlyStarving After Breakfast

References

Every study described in these books is listed here, by chapter, with a DOI or PubMed ID so you can find the original. Nothing in this list is decoration. If a claim in these pages matters to you, go and read the paper it rests on — and if the paper does not say what I said it says, I would rather you caught me.

Starving After Breakfast

Chapter 2: Hunger Is a Schedule, Not a Signal

  1. Woods SC. The eating paradox: how we tolerate food. Psychological Review. 1991;98(4):488–505. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.98.4.488. PMID:1961770
  2. Mistlberger RE. Neurobiology of food anticipatory circadian rhythms. Physiology & Behavior. 2011;104(4):535–545. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.04.015. PMID:21527266
  3. Lowe MR, Butryn ML. Hedonic hunger: a new dimension of appetite? Physiology & Behavior. 2007;91(4):432–439. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.04.006
  4. Morales I. Brain regulation of hunger and motivation: the case for integrating homeostatic and hedonic concepts and its implications for obesity and addiction. Appetite. 2022;177:106146. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2022.106146. PMID:35753443
  5. Wilhelmi de Toledo F, Grundler F, Bergouignan A, Drinda S, Michalsen A. Safety, health improvement and well-being during a 4 to 21-day fasting period in an observational study including 1422 subjects. PLoS One. 2019;14(1):e0209353. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0209353. PMID:30601864

Chapter 3: The Most Successful Ad Campaign in History

  1. Carroll A. Three Squares: The Invention of the American Meal. New York: Basic Books; 2013. ISBN 978-0-465-02552-7.
  2. Markel H. The Kelloggs: The Battling Brothers of Battle Creek. New York: Pantheon Books; 2017. ISBN 978-0-307-90727-1.
  3. Tye L. The Father of Spin: Edward L. Bernays and the Birth of Public Relations. New York: Crown Publishers; 1998. ISBN 978-0-517-70435-6.
  4. Bernays EL. Propaganda. New York: Horace Liveright; 1928.
  5. Rong S, Snetselaar LG, Xu G, et al. Association of skipping breakfast with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2019;73(16):2025–2032. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2019.01.065. PMID: 31023424.
  6. Keski-Rahkonen A, Kaprio J, Rissanen A, Virkkunen M, Rose RJ. Breakfast skipping and health-compromising behaviors in adolescents and adults. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2003;57(7):842–853. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601618. PMID: 12821884.
  7. Betts JA, Richardson JD, Chowdhury EA, Holman GD, Tsintzas K, Thompson D. The causal role of breakfast in energy balance and health: a randomized controlled trial in lean adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2014;100(2):539–547. doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.083402. PMID: 24898233.
  8. Chowdhury EA, Richardson JD, Holman GD, Tsintzas K, Thompson D, Betts JA. The causal role of breakfast in energy balance and health: a randomized controlled trial in obese adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2016;103(3):747–756. doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.122044. PMID: 26864365.
  9. Dhurandhar EJ, Dawson J, Alcorn A, et al. The effectiveness of breakfast recommendations on weight loss: a randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2014;100(2):507–513. doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.089573. PMID: 24898236.
  10. Sievert K, Hussain SM, Page MJ, et al. Effect of breakfast on weight and energy intake: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2019;364:l42. doi:10.1136/bmj.l42. PMID: 30700403.

Chapter 4: Ghrelin Learns Your Clock

  1. Cummings DE, Purnell JQ, Frayo RS, Schmidova K, Wisse BE, Weigle DS. A preprandial rise in plasma ghrelin levels suggests a role in meal initiation in humans. Diabetes. 2001;50(8):1714–1719. doi:10.2337/diabetes.50.8.1714 (PMID: 11473029)
  2. Frecka JM, Mattes RD. Possible entrainment of ghrelin to habitual meal patterns in humans. American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. 2008;294(3):G699–G707. doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00448.2007 (PMID: 18187517)
  3. Mistlberger RE. Circadian food-anticipatory activity: formal models and physiological mechanisms. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 1994;18(2):171–195. doi:10.1016/0149-7634(94)90023-X (PMID: 8058212)
  4. Carneiro BTS, Araujo JF. Food entrainment: major and recent findings. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 2012;6:83. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2012.00083 (PMID: 23205007)

Chapter 5: Cephalic Phase — Hungry Because You Ate

  1. Pullicin AJ, Glendinning JI, Lim J. Cephalic phase insulin release: a review of its mechanistic basis and variability in humans. Physiology & Behavior. 2021;239:113514. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113514. PMID: 34252401.
  2. Zeevi D, Korem T, Zmora N, et al. Personalized nutrition by prediction of glycemic responses. Cell. 2015;163(5):1079–1094. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2015.11.001.
  3. Wyatt P, Berry SE, Finlayson G, et al. Postprandial glycaemic dips predict appetite and energy intake in healthy individuals. Nature Metabolism. 2021;3(4):523–529. doi:10.1038/s42255-021-00383-x. PMID: 33846643.
  4. Cryer PE, Axelrod L, Grossman AB, et al. Evaluation and management of adult hypoglycemic disorders: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2009;94(3):709–728. doi:10.1210/jc.2008-1410.
  5. van der Klaauw AA, Keogh JM, Henning E, et al. High protein intake stimulates postprandial GLP1 and PYY release. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013;21(8):1602–1607. doi:10.1002/oby.20154. PMID: 23666746.

Chapter 6: The Cortisol Awakening Response

  1. Kaur J, Gandhi J, Sharma S. Physiology, Cortisol. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. PMID: 30855827.
  2. Stalder T, Kirschbaum C, Kudielka BM, et al. Assessment of the cortisol awakening response: Expert consensus guidelines. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2016;63:414–432. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.10.010. PMID: 26563991.
  3. Stalder T, Oster H, Abelson JL, Huthsteiner K, Klucken T, Clow A. The cortisol awakening response: Regulation and functional significance. Endocrine Reviews. 2025;46(1):43–59. doi:10.1210/endrev/bnae024.
  4. O'Neal TB, Luther EE. Dawn Phenomenon. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; updated 2023. PMID: 28613643.
  5. Yau YHC, Potenza MN. Stress and eating behaviors. Minerva Endocrinologica. 2013;38(3):255–267. PMID: 24126546.
  6. Fries E, Dettenborn L, Kirschbaum C. The cortisol awakening response (CAR): facts and future directions. International Journal of Psychophysiology. 2009;72(1):67–73. doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2008.03.014. PMID: 18854200.
  7. Nakamura Y, Walker BR, Ikuta T. Systematic review and meta-analysis reveals acutely elevated plasma cortisol following fasting but not less severe calorie restriction. Stress. 2016;19(2):151–157. doi:10.3109/10253890.2015.1121984. PMID: 26586092.

Chapter 7: The Metabolic Switch

  1. Rothman DL, Magnusson I, Katz LD, Shulman RG, Shulman GI. Quantitation of hepatic glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis in fasting humans with 13C NMR. Science. 1991;254(5031):573–576. doi:10.1126/science.1948033.
  2. de Cabo R, Mattson MP. Effects of intermittent fasting on health, aging, and disease. N Engl J Med. 2019;381(26):2541–2551. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1905136. PMID:31881139.
  3. Burke LM, Whitfield J, Heikura IA, et al. Adaptation to a low carbohydrate high fat diet is rapid but impairs endurance exercise metabolism and performance despite enhanced glycogen availability. J Physiol. 2021;599(3):771–790. doi:10.1113/JP280221. PMID:32697366.

Chapter 8: Habituation, Cues, and the Learned Loop

  1. Boswell RG, Kober H. Food cue reactivity and craving predict eating and weight gain: a meta-analytic review. Obesity Reviews. 2016;17(2):159–177. doi:10.1111/obr.12354. PMID:26644270.
  2. van den Akker K, Schyns G, Jansen A. Learned overeating: applying principles of Pavlovian conditioning to explain and treat overeating. Current Addiction Reports. 2018;5(2):223–231. doi:10.1007/s40429-018-0207-x. PMID:29963363.
  3. Hollands GJ, Shemilt I, Marteau TM, et al. Portion, package or tableware size for changing selection and consumption of food, alcohol and tobacco. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2015;(9):CD011045. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011045.pub2. PMID:26368271.
  4. Bouton ME. Context and behavioral processes in extinction. Learning & Memory. 2004;11(5):485–494. doi:10.1101/lm.78804.
  5. Maltz M. Psycho-Cybernetics. New York: Prentice-Hall; 1960.
  6. Lally P, van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J. How are habits formed: modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology. 2010;40(6):998–1009. doi:10.1002/ejsp.674.

Chapter 9: The Benefits Worth Having

  1. Wu Z, et al. Comparison of different intermittent fasting patterns or different extents of calorie restriction for weight loss and metabolic improvement in adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition Reviews. 2026. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuaf056. PMID:40367516.
  2. Zhang Q, et al. Intermittent fasting versus continuous calorie restriction: which is better for weight loss? Nutrients. 2022;14(9):1781. doi:10.3390/nu14091781. PMID:35565749.
  3. Sutton EF, Beyl RA, Early KS, Cefalu WT, Ravussin E, Peterson CM. Early time-restricted feeding improves insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress even without weight loss in men with prediabetes. Cell Metabolism. 2018;27(6):1212–1221.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2018.04.010. PMID:29754952.
  4. Cienfuegos S, Corapi S, Gabel K, et al. Effect of intermittent fasting on reproductive hormone levels in females and males: a review of human trials. Nutrients. 2022;14(11):2343. doi:10.3390/nu14112343. PMCID:PMC9182756.

Chapter 10: Skipping Breakfast Without Suffering

  1. Reis CEG, Dórea JG, da Costa THM. Effects of coffee consumption on glucose metabolism: a systematic review of clinical trials. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. 2019;9(3):184–191. doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2018.01.001
  2. Heyman SN, Bursztyn M, Szalat A, Muszkat M, Abassi Z. Fasting-induced natriuresis and SGLT: a new hypothesis for an old enigma. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2020;11:217. doi:10.3389/fendo.2020.00217

Fasting, Honestly

Coming soon. Every study cited in Fasting, Honestly will be listed here, by chapter, when the book is released.