Healthy for a Happy Life

You have heard it countless times before – breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  It is true.  Here are five reasons you should eat a healthy breakfast, including new evidence that suggests that skipping breakfast contributes to heart disease. 

1. A healthy breakfast protects your heart

A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, links skipping breakfast with hardening and narrowing of arteries, also known as atherosclerosis.  For the study, researchers analyzed the eating habits of over 4,000 people.  The subjects were then split into three groups, based on how many of their daily caloric intake was attributed to breakfast: less than 5%, between 5 and 20%, and more than 20%.  Only about 3% of people fell into the first category, meaning they skipped breakfast entirely and only had coffee, juice or another beverage. The majority, about 70%, ate very little for breakfast, such as toast, while less than a third, approximately 28%, ate substantial morning meals.

Being in one of the first two categories, either skipping or skimping on breakfast, was associated with several risk factors for heart disease. People who ate less than 5% of their daily calories at breakfast were 2.5 times more likely to have generalized atherosclerosis, meaning their arteries had early signs of plaque in different locations, compared with those who ate healthy breakfasts. Those who skimped on breakfast were also at increased risk for early signs of plaque in their arteries. 

In a recent study that involved almost 27,000 men, researchers found that those who didn’t eat a morning meal were 27 percent more likely to develop heart disease than those who did.  The research indicated that  people who skipped breakfast gained weight and were at an increased risk of high cholesterol and blood pressure—all of which raise the risk of heart disease. 

2. A healthy breakfast lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes

Studies have shown that a healthy breakfast helps avoid fluctuating glucose levels, which often lead to diabetes. A study reported by Consumer Reports found that when men did not eat breakfast, they raised the risk of type 2 diabetes by 21%.  For women, skipping breakfast was an even greater risk factor.  Women who skipped breakfast even just a few times per week were 28% more likely to develop diabetes than women who routinely enjoyed a healthy breakfast.  And a note of caution to those of us who skip breakfast in a rush to get to work:  full-time workers who skip breakfast are at an even greater risk of type 2 diabetes as researchers predicted that job stress tends to raise glucose levels even more. 

3. A healthy breakfast gets you moving

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition determined that people who ate breakfast were more physically active than their breakfast-less counterparts.  This may be due to the fact that a temporary increase in blood sugar provides an energy boost.  It is also interesting to note that, while those who ate a healthy breakfast consumed more daily calories overall, they did not gain weight because they were more active and had an increased metabolism.

4. A healthy breakfast may give you a mental edge

A study from the University of Milan found that a healthy breakfast enhances memory, creativity, mental processing speeds, attention span, verbal skills, and learning capacity.  These same scientists reviewed 15 studies and found that these benefits were derived from the stable glucose levels that a healthy breakfast provides.

5. A healthy breakfast may help manage your weight

Studies have found that a person who skips breakfast usually has a greater waist circumference, a larger higher body mass index, and higher blood pressure, cholesterol, and fasting glucose levels.  Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute wrote that skipping breakfast causes hormonal imbalances and alters circadian rhythms, contributing to people eating more calories, and perhaps more unhealthy foods, later in the day. 

In summary, you can enjoy a lot of health benefits from making, or sustaining, a daily healthy breakfast.