A new study by Harvard researchers shows that men who skipped breakfast had an increased risk of heart disease.
If you are out the door each morning without so much as a glance at the kitchen, a new study provides another reason to slow down and take time out of your busy day to eat a healthy breakfast—your heart.
This study is of particular note to men—not that guys are more likely to skip breakfast, but because researchers followed almost 27,000 men for 16 years.
In the study, published in the journal Circulation, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that men who passed over breakfast had a 27 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease, compared to those who listened to their mother’s advice about the most important meal of the day.
Men who skipped breakfast also ate one fewer meal each day, which means they weren’t making up for the lost breakfast later on with an extra lunch.
Coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S., occurs when the blood vessels to the heart become narrower, which basically starves the heart muscles of oxygen.
In addition, men who ate late at night—raiding the refrigerator after going to bed—were 55 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease. However, there were very few of these men in the study, so the researchers are not certain if this increase applies to all late-night snackers.
Connection Between Skipped Breakfast and Heart Disease
Because the study only monitored men over time—rather than asking them to eat or skip breakfast and see what happened—the researchers can’t say for certain that skipping breakfast is responsible for the increased risk of heart disease; it only shows a connection between the two. It could be that skipping breakfast is a signal of other unhealthy habits.
“Skipping breakfast may lead to one or more risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, which may in turn lead to a heart attack over time,” said Leah E. Cahill, Ph.D., the lead author of the study in a press release.
When the researchers took into account some of those risk factors—high body mass index, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus—men who skipped breakfast were only 18 percent more likely to have coronary heart disease.
That means other things are going on in the bodies of men who opt out of breakfast. The researchers, though, aren’t exactly sure what that is.
Breakfast May Signal Other Healthy Habits
One possibility is the overall health habits of breakfast skippers, who tended to share certain characteristics—they were younger, more likely to smoke, employed full-time, unmarried, less physically active and drank more alcohol. Some of these, such as alcohol and smoking, can lead to heart disease.
Breakfast and late-night meals may also differ. Typical foods in the morning tend to be healthier, such as cereals high in fiber and heart-healthy nutrients like folate. Some studies, on the other hand, have shown that people who eat late at night prefer more fatty and carbohydrate-rich foods, especially when they are overtired.
More research is needed to determine what role breakfast plays in keeping the heart healthy. In the meantime, the researchers stand behind your mother’s advice.
“Don’t skip breakfast,” said Cahill. “Eating breakfast is associated with a decreased risk of heart attacks. Incorporating many types of healthy foods into your breakfast is an easy way to ensure your meal provides adequate energy and a healthy balance of nutrients, such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. For example, adding nuts and chopped fruit to a bowl of whole grain cereal or steel-cut oatmeal in the morning is a great way to start the day.”
Tips for Eating a Healthy Breakfast
The American Heart Association also offers these tips for helping breakfast live up to its reputation as the most important meal of the day:
- Begin your day with a glass of 100 percent fruit juice (with no sugar added).
- Swap out the white toast for whole wheat. Instead of butter, use a little jam, peanut butter, low-fat cottage cheese or olive oil.
- Choose whole-grain cereals topped with low-fat milk or a non-dairy alternative like soy milk.
- Instead of fried eggs, try an omelet or scrambled eggs made with egg whites or an egg substitute.
- Skip the baked goods—croissants, pastries and muffins—and choose whole-wheat bagels instead (topped with low-fat cream cheese).
- Try leaner cuts of ham or Canadian bacon.
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References: Cahill LE, Chiuve SE, Mekary RA, Jensen MK, Flint AJ, Hu FB, & Rimm EB (2013). Prospective Study of Breakfast Eating and Incident Coronary Heart Disease in a Cohort of Male US Health Professionals. Circulation, 128 (4), 337-43 PMID: 23877060
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