Skipping Breakfast Leads to Higher Risk of Heart Attack and Coronary Disease?

Routinely skipping breakfast can be detrimental to a man's health, researchers suggested with a new study, as it increases risk of a heart attack and other coronary diseases.

According to a press release from the American Heart Association, the team of researchers analyzed results from meal frequency questionnaire data and health outcomes from 1992-2008 among 26,902 males aged 45-82.

"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 E. Cahill, Ph.D., study lead author and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass.

The team found men who said they skipped breakfast were 27 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those who said they ate breakfast regularly. Men who said they regularly skipped breakfast were also younger than those who did not and were also more likely to smoke, have a full-time job, drink more alcohol, were unmarried and less physically active.

The team also found eating late at night to be harmful as well. They found Men who ate after going to be were 55 percent more likely to have a coronary heart disease than those who did not. Less men contributed to this part of the study, leading the team to believe it is not as much of a risk as routinely skipping breakfast.

During the study, 1,572 men experienced their first ever cardiac arrest.

"Our study group has spent decades studying the health effects of diet quality and composition, and now this new data also suggests overall dietary habits can be important to lower risk of coronary heart disease," said Eric Rimm, Sc.D., senior author and Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School.

Although most of men tested in the study were white and of European descent, the team still said the results should be a warning to anyone - women included - to routinely eat breakfast in the morning.

"Don't skip breakfast," Cahill said. "Eating breakfast is associated with a decreased risk of heart attacks. Incorporating many types of healthy foods into your breakfast is an easy way to ensure your meal provides adequate energy and a healthy balance of nutrients, such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals."