Skipping breakfast increases heart attack risk, study finds
Source: Agencies |
July 24, 2013, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ANOTHER reason to eat breakfast: Skipping it may increase your chances of a heart attack.
A study of older men found those who regularly skipped breakfast had a 27 percent higher risk of a heart attack than those who ate a morning meal. There's no reason why the results wouldn't apply to other people, too, the Harvard researchers said.
Why would skipping breakfast be a heart attack risk? Experts aren't certain, but some think people who don't eat breakfast are more likely to be hungrier later in the day and eat larger meals.
The body must process a larger amount of calories in a shorter time, which can spike sugar levels in the blood and lead to clogged arteries.
"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 Cahill, lead study author and a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health.
"Don't skip breakfast," Cahill said. "Eating breakfast is associated with a decreased risk of heart attacks."
Researchers surveyed nearly 27,000 men about their eating habits in 1992. About 13 percent of them said they regularly skipped breakfast. They all were educated health professionals and were at least 45.
Ninety-seven percent of men in the study were white and of European descent, but researchers said the results should apply to those of other backgrounds as well.
Over the next 16 years, 1,527 suffered fatal or non-fatal heart attacks, including 171 who had said they regularly skipped breakfast.
In other words, over 7 percent of the men who skipped breakfast had heart attacks, compared to nearly 6 percent of those who ate breakfast.
The researchers calculated the increased risk at 27 percent, taking into account other factors like smoking, drinking, diet and health problems like high blood pressure and obesity.
"It's a really simple message," said Eric Rimm, one of the study authors at the Harvard School of Public Health. "Breakfast is an important meal."
A study of older men found those who regularly skipped breakfast had a 27 percent higher risk of a heart attack than those who ate a morning meal. There's no reason why the results wouldn't apply to other people, too, the Harvard researchers said.
Why would skipping breakfast be a heart attack risk? Experts aren't certain, but some think people who don't eat breakfast are more likely to be hungrier later in the day and eat larger meals.
The body must process a larger amount of calories in a shorter time, which can spike sugar levels in the blood and lead to clogged arteries.
"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 Cahill, lead study author and a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health.
"Don't skip breakfast," Cahill said. "Eating breakfast is associated with a decreased risk of heart attacks."
Researchers surveyed nearly 27,000 men about their eating habits in 1992. About 13 percent of them said they regularly skipped breakfast. They all were educated health professionals and were at least 45.
Ninety-seven percent of men in the study were white and of European descent, but researchers said the results should apply to those of other backgrounds as well.
Over the next 16 years, 1,527 suffered fatal or non-fatal heart attacks, including 171 who had said they regularly skipped breakfast.
In other words, over 7 percent of the men who skipped breakfast had heart attacks, compared to nearly 6 percent of those who ate breakfast.
The researchers calculated the increased risk at 27 percent, taking into account other factors like smoking, drinking, diet and health problems like high blood pressure and obesity.
"It's a really simple message," said Eric Rimm, one of the study authors at the Harvard School of Public Health. "Breakfast is an important meal."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
