Regularly Skipping Breakfast? You're at a Higher Risk for Heart Problems
A study from Spain found that a big breakfast is linked to better health, while skipping breakfast is associated with various risk factors for severe diseases.
(Photo: shutterstock)No matter how much we hear about the benefits of breakfast, it's still easy to skip it in the hectic race of life. However, those who think skipping breakfast regularly is just a reasonable compromise for busy people might want to read the new study from Spain: People who regularly skip breakfast, as the study found, are at a higher risk for artery damage leading to heart attacks and strokes. Additionally, breakfast skippers are at a higher risk of suffering from obesity dangerous to health, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
The scientists examined a group of 4,052 men and women from the city of Madrid, three percent of whom regularly skipped breakfast. Sixty-nine percent ate a low-calorie breakfast, while the rest consumed a large breakfast that included more than a fifth of their daily calorie intake.
After gathering the breakfast data from the study participants, they underwent medical examinations. It was found that atherosclerosis—a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes—was particularly common among breakfast skippers, and least common among those who ate a large, rich breakfast. Similar findings were observed when examining markers for heart and metabolic diseases. Furthermore, breakfast skippers were on average the ones with the most excess weight among the study participants and suffered from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar levels.
The research team leader, Dr. Jose Penalvo from the School of Nutrition at the American Tufts University, says: "Besides the direct link to cardiac risk factors, skipping breakfast could be a sign of generally unhealthy dietary and lifestyle habits, which are obviously associated with atherosclerosis. Our findings are important for healthcare professionals and can be used as a straightforward message for lifestyle changes and public health strategy formulation, as well as for updating dietary recommendations."
Among the evidence that the study found that skipping breakfast is a symptom of a generally unhealthy lifestyle is the fact that breakfast skippers were more likely to consume junk food, drink alcohol, and smoke.
