People are constantly on the go. I’m sure you have heard
that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” but who has time for
breakfast these days? More importantly, a substantial, nutritious breakfast to
start the day? I know many times when I’m rushed, breakfast is the last thing
on my mind.
A study out of Harvard University shows that skipping
breakfast and eating late at night is correlated with an increase in coronary
heart disease in male US health professionals. 26,902 male dentists,
veterinarians, pharmacists, optometrists, osteopaths, and podiatrists aged 45
to 70 years old enrolled in a study in 1986 and completed questionnaires
assessing diet every two years ending in 1992. After adjusting for variables
including age, marital status, smoking, alcohol, stress, health, and other
factors, results showed that men who skipped breakfast and ate late at night
were at a higher risk for coronary heart disease. Men who skipped breakfast
were also 15% more likely to have significant weight gain and 21% more likely
to develop type 2 diabetes.
Although this study only studied males, the researchers
believe that if women and other ethno-cultural groups (besides mainly Caucasians) were
studied the results provide evidence that eating breakfast can decrease the
risk of coronary heart disease at the individual and population level.
So do yourself a favor, don’t skip out on the most important
meal of the day. Your heart will be grateful.
Reference:
Cahill LE, Chiuve SE, Mekary RA, Jensen MK, Flint AJ, Hu FB,
Rimm EB. Prospective study of breakfast eating and incident coronary heart
disease in a cohort of male US health professionals. Circulation 128: 337-343,
2013.
Scott, did the study you discussed address specific reasons why skipping breakfast has a higher correlation with the development of coronary heart disease? According to one article I found, skipping breakfast decreased energy intake but increased the amount of snacks consumed during the day which may not necessarily be healthy. This assumes, however, that the types of food consumed during breakfast are generally healthy. If, for example, a person's breakfast consisted of 40 pieces of bacon every single day that might prove detrimental later. Besides the physiological implications of skipping breakfast, there also seems to be a large behavioral component in terms of how an individual alters their lifestyle to accommodate this missed meal. Rather than just the act of skipping breakfast, I would say that one's overall dietary choices impacts the risk of developing health problems, such as heart disease.
ReplyDeleteShafiee G, Kelishadi R, Qorbani M, Motlagh ME, Taheri M, Ardalan G, Taslimi M, Poursafa P, Heshmat R, Larijani B. 2013. Association of breakfast intake with cardiometabolic risk factors. Jornal de Pediatria 89: 575-582.
I agree that skipping breakfast is mainly because people are in a rush in the mornings, but I also believe it has a lot to do with the lack of education and bad habits people have regarding their health. In an article that I read, even though there was an inconclusive correlation between physical activity and eating breakfast, there was a high correlation between physical activity and eating breakfast on the weekends for adolescents. I would assume that happened because those who tend to eat breakfast regularly most likely are aware of the benefits and therefore tend to have healthier habits. Therefore those who skip breakfast tend to have a higher correlation with coronary heart disease because maybe that is just a result from their lack of knowledge about the benefits of eating breakfast or their bad health habits. That's something that would be interesting to look farther into.
ReplyDeleteCorder K, Sluijs E.MF, Ridgway C.L, Steele R.M, Prynne C.J, Stephen A.M, Bamber D.J, Dunn V.J, Goodyer I.M, Ekelund U. 2013. Breakfast consumption and physical activity in adolescents: daily associations and hourly patterns. AJCN.