Skipping breakfast could cause hardened arteries

We’ve been told since we were children that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It gives us energy to do our daily tasks and can discourage overeating at night. But a new study says breakfast has a benefit that goes straight to your heart.

This new research, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, says that adults who skip breakfast are increasing their risk of atherosclerosis or “the hardening and narrowing of arteries due to a build-up of plaque.”

Using both male and female volunteers, researchers asked participants to explain their eating habits, then broke them into three groups: Those who ate less than 5% of their daily calories at breakfast, like having just a cup of coffee or juice; Full breakfast eaters, who took in 20% or more of their daily calories in the morning; and the low-energy breakfast group, who ate between 5 and 20% of their calories at the start of the day.

Study participants who skipped breakfast had the largest waistlines, plus the highest body mass index and blood pressure. Hardened arteries were seen the most in both those who skipped breakfast and those who had a low-energy breakfast.

The study’s author says, "Between 20 and 30 percent of adults skip breakfast and these trends mirror the increasing prevalence of obesity and associated cardiometabolic abnormalities.”

Bottom line: Your body needs more than a cup of coffee!

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