Skipping Breakfast Is Unwise

Posted by Lynda on July 25th, 2013 (Health)

More research suggests that eating breakfast is essential for good health, says Sydney dietitian Lynda Hamilton.

Two different scientific studies over the last two weeks have highlighted possible health problems associated with skipping breakfast.

The benefits of eating breakfast is already well-known, and it is a fact that those who do are less obese and find it easier to maintain a healthy weight than those who don’t. These two new studies suggest that ‘breaking the fast’ may have implications in the longer-term – and that those who don’t may increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular problems later in the life.

Although a very small and relatively inconclusive study, the first, published on July 16th, was carried out by the Endocrine Society (http://www.endocrine.org) and looked a small sample of 9 women, with an average age of 29 who were over-weight or obese.

The researchers tested the women’s blood sugar levels after they ate the same lunch and found that those who had not eaten breakfast continued to have higher levels of blood sugars for longer after eating than those who had eaten breakfast. Although blood sugars do increase after a meal, the rise and length was greater in those who had skipped breakfast – and this increased level could, over time, lead to type 2 diabetes.

The second, more detailed and interesting study conducted by the American Heart Association and published on the 22nd July in their Rapid Access Journal Report looked at and tracked the health outcomes of 26,902 male health professionals ages 45-82 for 16 years (1992-2008).

They found that men who skipped breakfast had a 27 percent higher risk of heart attack or death from coronary heart disease than those who didn’t. They also found that men who reported eating late at night (eating after going to bed) had a 55 percent higher coronary heart disease risk than those who didn’t.

The reasons, they concluded was that when we sleep our body is in an protective state and our blood pressure and insulin levels increase. When we wake, we need to break the fast with some food which the body metabolises and then blood sugar levels return to their normal rate. Skipping breakfast means these levels remain high – and if the Endocrine Society study is accurate – continue to remain high even after lunch.

The heart risk for those who ate late at night was for the same reasons, but in reverse, the authors concluded. When we eat late at night our body is going into protective mode and is not geared up to process the food, so it does not metabolise the food efficiently. Which, the authors suggested, leads to potential heart health risks later in life.

No doubt more research on this topic will be released in due course but it is clear that eating something to break the fast is essential to good health and weight. So make breakfast a priority in your diet, even if it is simply a piece of fruit, a yoghurt or slice of wholegrain toast.

By Lynda Hamilton, an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist BSc, BHSc (N&D) at Hamilton Dietetics.

As dietitian in North Sydney Lynda covers Mona Vale, Kogarah, Collaroy Plateau, Dee Why, the Northern Beaches, Palm Beach, Newport, Narrabeen and Avalon.

Be diet free for life and never count calories again. Join Lynda’s new program – the 10 Weeks to Freedom Anti-Diet Weight Loss Program.