Consuming foods that are high in calories for breakfast may cause the body to metabolize nutrients differently for the remainder of the day, according to a study published in the International Journal of Obesity.

For this trial, a team of researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) created different diets and fed them to two groups of mice. The first diet consisted of a meal in the morning that was high in calories, and the second included a carbohydrate-rich breakfast and a high-fat meal at night.

The team discovered that the group who ate the first diet had steady, healthy metabolisms, while the mice in the second group had gained weight and developed glucose intolerance, which are both signs of the developing of a metabolic disorder.

Martin Young, an associate professor of medicine at the school, stated that “the first meal you have appears to program your metabolism for the rest of the day.” He added that a fat-rich breakfast will program your body to “transfer your energy utilization between carbohydrate and fat.”

Approximately 47 million U.S. citizens have a metabolic disorder, which increases the risks of developing coronary heart disease or suffering from a stroke, the American Heart Association reports.