Breakfast or die

If you don’t have breakfast, you’re 87% more likely to die of heart disease than if you eat it daily.

That is the stark conclusion from a survey of 6,550 Americans aged 40 to 75 between 1988 to 1994, then following their health up to 2011. During this time 2,318 died, including 619 from cardiovascular disease.

Adjustments were made to rule out other factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, socio-economic status, diet and lifestyle.

Eating breakfast was also associated with all kinds of other benefits such as helping lower blood pressure, prevent haemorrhage, regulate appetite and improve glycemic response.

Skipping breakfast was linked to numerous other adverse impacts such as higher cholesterol, decreased satiety, increased obesity, impaired insulin sensitivity and type 2 diabetes.

The damning conclusion was that “skipping breakfast was associated with a significantly increased risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease … Our study supports the benefits of eating breakfast in promoting cardiovascular health.”

The study was conducted by the American college of Cardiology and published in its Journal.

It contradicts a growing belief that occasional fasting has health benefits, but the research is clearly not the end of the story.

Personally, I have always been a great believer in a wholesome breakfast. After many years of feeling too hungry by lunchtime, I switched some time ago to a breakfast of natural yogurt, muesli, granola, prunes and berries, with a small glass of milk. It is simple, gives me pleasure and I hope it keeps me healthy.

A strong coffee then sets me up for the day ahead.