Now hear this: Despite what you've heard all your life, breakfast may not be the most important meal of the day. In fact, it may not even be good for you.

That's the word from some scientists. They say it may be more healthful for adults to skip breakfast, as long as they eat carefully the rest of the day, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.

"No clear evidence shows that the skipping of breakfast or lunch (or both) is unhealthy, and animal data suggest quite the opposite," wrote Mark Mattson, a neuroscientist at the National Institute on Aging, last year in the medical journal the Lancet. Advice to eat smaller and more frequent meals, he wrote, "is given despite the lack of clear scientific evidence to justify it."

Mattson admits that he hasn't proven his case yet. His studies are still preliminary. But already, he has followers who have started skipping breakfast. And a diet plan that involves breakfast skipping — the Warrior Diet — is attracting followers in the U.S. and worldwide.

But what about breakfast being instrumental in weight loss? Nutritionists say you gotta eat to lose weight. But Mattson says taking vitamins and minerals can fill the void.

So what are we dieters to do? I say, pass me my Atkins bar!

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com