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 Even after researchers accounted for diet and other risk factors for
heart disease, people who routinely skipped breakfast were
significantly more likely to develop atherosclerosis compared to
individuals who normally had a morning meal, the study found.
“A greater percentage of energy consumed earlier in the day may
favor cardiovascular health,” lead study author Dr. Valentín Fuster
of the CNIC in Madrid and Mount Sinai Heart in New York City said by
email.
Previous research has linked skipping breakfast to a higher risk of
problems that can lead to heart disease such as obesity, diabetes
and high cholesterol, researchers note in the Journal of the
American College of Cardiology.
For the current study, researchers examined data from dietary
questionnaires completed by 4,052 adults who didn’t have a history
of heart problems.
Overall, just 3 percent of the participants reported skipping
breakfast, while 69 percent typically consumed a light morning meal
(accounting for 5 percent to 20 percent of total calories for the
day) and 28 percent had a hearty breakfast (accounting for more than
20 percent of the day's caloric intake).
Those who skipped breakfast were more likely to be male, smokers and
dieters who consumed the bulk of their daily calories around
lunchtime.
When they ate, breakfast skippers tended to spend no more than 5
minutes on their morning meal and consume mostly coffee or orange
juice.
Compared to people who had a hearty breakfast, individuals who had a
light breakfast were still 21 percent more likely to have damage in
a major artery in the neck and 17 percent more likely to have damage
in a major blood vessel in the abdominal area.
In addition to having the greatest risk of atherosclerosis, people
who skipped breakfast also had the greatest waist circumference,
body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Participants who skipped breakfast were more likely to have an
overall unhealthy lifestyle, including poor overall diet, frequent
alcohol consumption and smoking. They were also more likely to be
overweight or obese.
The study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove that
skipping breakfast directly causes heart problems or hardening of
the arteries.
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Another limitation of the study is that some people may have been
skipping breakfast because they were obese and were trying to lose
weight or improve other risk factors for heart disease that could
also contribute to atherosclerosis, the authors note.
“Many overweight people who might be skipping breakfast or other
meals in the hope of losing weight should keep in mind that studies
have repeatedly shown that contrary to the commonly held belief,
such habits can be associated with (weight gain) and might lead to
significant metabolic abnormalities including the increased risk of
metabolic syndrome and diabetes,” said Dr. Prakash Deedwania, author
of an accompanying editorial and researcher at the University of
California, San Francisco.
“Indeed, these studies have proved the age old concept that
breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” Deedwania said by
email.
Individuals who regularly eat breakfast also tend to have a
healthier lifestyle, exercising more, eating better and smoking less
than people who skip their morning meal, said Marie-Pierre St-Onge,
a nutrition researcher at Columbia University Medical Center in New
York City who wasn’t involved in the study.
“I think that, for everyone, consuming a healthy breakfast is a
great way to meet guidelines for fruits, whole grains, lean
protein,” St-Onge said by email.
“It doesn’t have to be large,” St-Onge added. “Many people are not
that hungry in the morning, and it doesn’t have to be very
elaborate.
The important thing is not to wait too long to eat, because people
may then resort to unhealthy snacks or whatever they can grab on the
go to give them a boost until it’s time to eat lunch, she said.
“Having a healthy first meal just sets the tone right for the rest
of the day,” St-Onge added.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2w3RpVv Journal of the American College of
Cardiology, online October 2, 2017.
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