Grandma always said breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Now a study from Australia suggests that she was right. In 1985 school children were polled to find out which kids ate breakfast and which ones regularly skipped it. More than 2,000 youngsters were followed over the next 20 years.
They were asked again whether they had continued to skip breakfast; they also had their diet quality assessed, their waist circumference measured and their blood sugar, insulin and cholesterol levels analyzed. Those who regularly skipped breakfast as both children and adults had bigger waists, higher insulin and higher cholesterol levels. The investigators conclude that skipping breakfast over a long period may have deleterious effects on heart health.
[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dec., 2010]