The saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day seems to have been widely recognized and accepted.
As the saying goes, breakfast should be good, lunch should be full, and dinner should be small.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, skipping breakfast may increase the risk of heart disease and premature death.
Not only that, but a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology says that eating breakfast may also “save your life”.
A team of doctors and researchers from seven U.S. universities analyzed the data of nearly 7,000 people. These people were between the ages of 40-75. They participated in a 7-year-long (1988-1994) experiment on health and diet and nutrition.
The volunteers who participated in the experiment had to fill out their daily breakfast (the study analyzed the breakfast habits of more than 6,000 U.S. volunteers) and found that those who regularly skipped breakfast had a higher likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease.
Of the volunteers who participated in the survey, 5% said they never ate breakfast. 11% rarely ate breakfast. Twenty-five percent sometimes ate and sometimes did not.
As of 2011, more than 2,000 of these 6,000 volunteers had died.
Researchers analyzed these people’s breakfast habits and combined them with other high-risk factors, such as whether they smoked and were obese, and found that those who skipped breakfast had a 19 percent increased risk of dying from any kind of disease.
At the same time, their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease increased by 87%.
Disagree
Medical research has previously shown that skipping breakfast can have adverse effects on people’s health. But scientists have been trying to figure out the cause-and-effect relationship.
Commenting on the U.S. study, the National Health Service (NHS) said the study could not prove a direct link between skipping breakfast and heart disease deaths.
In a review article published on its website, the NHS said that those who skip breakfast are more likely to be former smokers than regular breakfast eaters. They are also likely to be heavy drinkers, dislike exercise, have poor diets and be of low socioeconomic status.
In addition, the NHS said that the U.S. survey is only a one-time finding and does not reflect the effects of other long-term habits.
The NHS also said that even eating breakfast cannot be a blanket statement. For example, some people may eat a healthy breakfast at 8 a.m. every day, while others may eat a bacon sandwich or a sugary snack near noon.
However, Dr. Bowie, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa and one of the study’s lead authors, disagrees.
He said many previous studies have shown that skipping breakfast can increase the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Our study shows that eating breakfast is a simple way to improve cardiovascular health,” Dr. Bowie said.
Healthy Breakfast
So, how to eat breakfast to be healthy? First of all, there is a saying that it is best to eat breakfast within two hours after you get up.
There are also nutrition experts say that the best time to eat breakfast is 7:11 am. As to how this precise time is calculated, whether it is really scientific and accurate can not be verified.
As for what to eat for breakfast, it varies from person to person and from culture to culture and from diet to diet.
But in general, a nutritious and healthy breakfast should include some whole grains, proteins and fruits and vegetables, such as oatmeal, one or two slices of whole grain toast, vegetable and fruit salad, low-fat milk or Greek yogurt (low sugar), boiled or fried eggs (according to the latest research, it is best to have no more than three eggs per week), and so on.
England is famous for its English breakfast, which includes fried eggs, bacon, sausages, fried potato pancakes and toast. But it may not be suitable to eat every day, once in a while should not hurt.
A good breakfast should provide you with sufficient nutrients and give you plenty of energy.
The number one killer
Powell and his team also said that the association between skipping breakfast and the risk of heart disease is very high, and that this conclusion was made after excluding other high-risk factors such as socioeconomic status and obesity.
He also noted, “To our knowledge, this is the first prospective analysis of the association between skipping breakfast and cardiovascular disease mortality.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular disease, especially heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death worldwide. In 2016 alone, more than 15 million people died of cardiovascular disease worldwide.
Recommended reading:
Healthy living: Five dietary habits to help protect your heart
You need to have a healthy diet to have a strong immune system
