Men: Skipping breakfast may mean a 27% added risk for heart attack.
A study conducted at Harvard university revealed that men who don’t have breakfast are in a higher risk group for having a heart attack or fatal heart disease, and also tend to suffer from other risk factors, such as obesity and diabetes.
A new study conducted in the United States reveals that men who skip breakfast are exposed to a higher risk of having a heart attack or fatal heart disease.
The study, in which 27,000 male health care professionals aged 45-82 participated, concludes that men who don’t have breakfast are 27% more likely to die from heart disease or a heart attack than other men.
During the study, the men filled out questionnaires regarding their dietary habits, and their health was followed between the years 1992-2008. Those who claimed to not have breakfast were usually in the younger age group – and also tended to be smokers, part-time employees, single, less physically active, and alcohol consumers.
“Not eating breakfast can lead to heart disease risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes” according to Leah Cahill, a researcher at the Harvard University School of Public Health.
Men who indicated in the questionnaires that they eat breakfast regularly ate more than the other men, which meant that the aforementioned men didn’t make up for the amount of food that was skipped at the beginning of the day.
Additionally, men who ate late at night had a 55% higher CHD risk compared with those who did not.
Even though 97% of the study participants were white men of European descent, the researchers claim that the results can apply to men with other backgrounds. The study follows several short-duration trials, preliminary cross-sectional studies, and small prospective studies linking skipping meals with adverse cardiometabolic health effects, including overweight and weight gain, dyslipidemia (impaired blood fats), high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Dr. Cahill notes, “Fasting is a stressful state for the body, so prolonging the fast by not eating when you wake up amplifies the stress. We believe that it is the timing of how breakfast ‘breaks fast’ in the morning that provides the protection against heart attack that we observed. Our bodies need to be fed food regularly in order to maintain healthy levels of blood lipids such as cholesterol, hormones such as insulin, and normal blood pressure.”
Learn more about healthy meal planning (including healthy breakfast recipes) with the Trim Down Club.
Source: Cahill LE, et al. Prospective Study of Breakfast Eating and Incident Coronary Heart Disease in a Cohort of Male US Health Professionals. Circulation. 2013; 128: 337-343.
Link: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/128/4/337.full.pdf+html
Hi, suazomarina. If you can exercise in the evening, that can help deal with the burden of your food intake being later in the day.
If you want to try to get nutrition in the morning, you can start gradually – just drink something. Then make that beverage more and more substantial, e.g. start out with milk, then move to a milk shake, then smoothies, etc. until you have something that is like a meal. We have many recipes for breakfast-appropriate smoothies, as there are many people here who don’t like to eat breakfast or don’t have the time.
i don’t eat any breakfast because i am not hungry if i eat to early make me feel sick so if i eat i eat like around lunch time . so what can i do?
I am just starting the program I find it hard to eat breakfast really never have
I was not a Breakfast eater for a long time until I found myself at 200 pd. wondering what happen, so I decided to eat breakfast and found that I’m not so hungry at lunch, when before at lunch time, I was eating till I had to un fasten my pants..
Always heard it was the most important meal of the day to get the metabolism going;-)
I can get right through the morning after a decent breakfast. Usually whole grains with banana and 2 pieces of toast
with spread on. And a cup of tea of course.
some fresh strawberries and grapes later
I usually have greek yogurt with fruit and a large spoon of ground flax seed and cup of 80 calorie capachino coffee and water.
what wii be a good breakfast
I love a good breakfast !
what is suggested as a good breakfast. I like bacon and eggs,grits,potatoes etc
It makes me sick to eat breakfast. I only eat dinner
I need to learn to eat breakfast! And my hubby needs to learn to NOT snack at night. We’re both guilty and need to change.
Jan