Almost everyone will remember their mother telling them that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and as it turns out, she was right all along.
According to a new study published in an American medical journal, people who regularly miss the first meal of the day were more likely to have plaque in their arteries, raising their risk of heart attacks and strokes.
According to the Herald Sun, those skipping breakfast were 25.7 times more likely to have atherosclerosis, or stiff and narrow arteries.
People who regularly miss the first meal of the day were more likely to have narrow arteries
The study was carried out on a group of 4000 people in Spain, and published its findings in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Compared with those who regularly eat a hearty breakfast, those who do not are more likely to be obese and to suffer high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Co-author of the research Valentin Fuster said that he was most concerned about what people who were skipping breakfast were eating later on.
Those who regularly eat breakfast are less likely to be obese and have lower blood pressure
‘Not only do they eat late and in an odd fashion, but [they also] have a poor lifestyle,” he said.
‘Skipping breakfast in the morning by itself is not the problem. The problem is what you eat afterwards.’
The issue of the size of the breakfast eaten was also examined in the study by Fuster, who is the director of Mount Sinai Heart in New York.
27 per cent of those who eat breakfast had a hearty meal to set them up for the rest of the day
‘Nearly 75 per cent of breakfast-skippers showed a plaque build-up, compared with 57 per cent of those who had a big breakfast, and 64 per cent of those who ate a light one.’
Of the people that did eat breakfast, 69.4 per cent had a light breakfast consisting of less than 20 per cent of their daily calorie intake, and 27.7 per cent had a hearty breakfast.
The skippers were more likely to be obese, have high blood pressure, frequently consume alcohol, smoke, and eat high levels of red meat, the study concluded.
Not eating a good breakfast can lead to overeating or eating unhealthily later in the morning
Dietitians Association of Australia representative Natasha Murray revealed that it is mostly adolescents that are skipping the first meal of the day.
She explained that a good breakfast sets people up for the rest of the day, and that skipping it can lead to overeating.
‘If you don’t have breakfast, probably at morning tea time you might be looking at that bikkie bowl or reaching for the muffin when you grab your coffee,’ Ms Murray said.
Dietitian Ms Natasha Murray recommends avocado on toast as a healthy and quick breakfast
‘The research shows people who eat breakfast do make better food choices.’
She recommends avocado on toast as a healthy and quick breakfast, perfect for those who need to eat something as they are running out the door.
For people who say they have difficulty eating in the morning, it is recommended that they whip up a smoothie, or grab some yoghurt and fruit if they can.
For people that have trouble eating in the morning, Ms Murray recommends yoghurt and fruit