A government-backed Japanese medical researcher said that youngsters who skip breakfast are more prone to lose their virginity at an earlier age, compared to those who eat breakfast.

This strange and unbelievable association probably has to do with the teens' family life. At least this is the opinion of Kunio Kitamura, executive director of the Japan Family Planning Association, who led the study about the sexual experiences, family relationships and lifestyle habits of more than 1,500 Chinese individuals aged 16 to 49.

The survey was carried out in September. Both male and female participants were asked to fill in some questionnaires about the age at which they had their first sexual intercourse and their lifestyles when they were in grades seven to nine.

Teens who skipped breakfast had sex for the first time at an average 17.5 years old, about two years earlier than their peers who did eat the most important meal of the day.

The findings also showed that teenagers who disliked their mothers or didn’t have happy memories of family life also started their sex lives at an earlier age. On average, such youngsters had sex for the first time at 16, about 3 years sooner than those who were pleased about their moms.

"While it is important to delay sexual activities in order to reduce unwanted pregnancies among young people, the result suggests that the family plays a major role for that (delay) to happen," Mr. Kitamura said.