A study conducted by Maryland Medical Research Institute reveals that girls, who regularly have breakfast comprising of cereal, are slimmer than those who generally skip the morning meal.

The study takes into account nearly 2,400 girls for ten years. Results are in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association

The index gets lower for girls who have cereal for breakfast. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and cereal-maker General Mills sponsored the study.

Study author Bruce Barton says, "Not eating breakfast is the worst thing you can do, that's really the take-home message for teenage girls." He is also the president and CEO of the Maryland institute. Barton says the fiber in cereal and healthier foods like milk and orange are responsible for the lower body mass index among cereal eaters.

The survey covers 2,379 girls in California, Ohio, and Maryland between 9 and 19 years of age.