Skipping breakfast could raise your risk of heart disease by 87 percent, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Iowa analyzed 18 years of data on 6,550 people over 40 who had no history of heart disease.
They were given regular surveys, which included the question: 'how often do you eat breakfast?'
Most (59 percent) ate breakfast every day, but 5.1 percent never did, 10.9 percent rarely did, and 25 percent would skip a few days.
The team found a clear link between breakfast habits and heart disease risk.
Those who didn't eat in the morning were up to 87 percent more likely to develop heart woes.
'Breakfast is believed to be an important meal of the day, whereas there has been an increasing prevalence of skipping breakfast over the past 50 years in the United States, with as many as 23.8 percent of young people skipping breakfast every day,' the authors write.
'However, studies on the health effects of skipping breakfast are sparse.'
To their knowledge, this is the first retrospective study to look at breakfast habits and cardiovascular mortality.
The team pointed to a few factors which could underlie this connection.
First, those who don't eat breakfast may be more likely to snack unhealthily.
Second, breakfast may help to balance blood sugar levels and control blood pressure.
The findings, published on the American College of Cardiology, come days after a similar study showed people who skip breakfast and eat a late dinner are less likely to survive a heart attack.
Skipping breakfast has long been espoused by celebrities as a diet trick. Joanna Lumley says cutting out breakfast has helped her stay slim in older age. Recently, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said he never eats breakfast, only dinner - and that he skips all food altogether on Saturdays - as part of a routine that he claims is meditative.
Many have suggested that Dorsey's diet could be classed as an eating disorder, rather than, as he puts it, 'biohacking'.
The new study does not, by any means, provide a concrete verdict on breakfast.
As Borja Ibanez, MD, points out in an editorial, association is not necessarily causation.
Those who didn't eat breakfast were more likely to smoke, scrimp on exercise, and drink alcohol.
长期不吃早餐患心脏病风险增加87%
最新研究指出，不吃早餐可能会使患心脏病的风险增加87%。
艾奥瓦大学的研究人员分析了6550名40岁以上无心脏病史的人在18年间的数据。
这些人定期接受调查，他们要回答的问题包括“你多久吃一次早餐？”
大多数人（59%）每天吃早餐，但5.1%的人从来不吃，10.9%的人偶尔吃，还有25%的人偶尔不吃。
研究小组发现，早餐习惯与心脏病风险之间存在明显关联。
早上不吃东西的人患心脏疾病的可能性要高87%。
“人们认为早餐是一天中的重要一餐，而在美国，过去50年间，不吃早餐的现象越来越普遍，多达23.8%的年轻人每天都不吃早餐，”报告的作者们写道。
“然而，关于不吃早餐对健康有何影响的研究少之又少。”
据他们所知，这是首个对早餐习惯与心血管疾病死亡率进行的回顾性研究。
研究小组指出了有可能造成这种联系的几个因素。
首先，不吃早餐的人更有可能吃不健康的零食。
其次，早餐可能有助于平衡血糖水平和控制血压。
该研究结果刊登在《美国心脏病学会》期刊上，而在几天前，一项类似的研究显示，不吃早餐且吃晚饭较晚的人在心脏病发作时幸存下来的可能性要小一些。
不吃早餐一直被一些名人奉为减肥妙招。乔安娜·林莉说，不吃早餐帮助她在年老时还能保持苗条。最近，推特首席执行官杰克·多西说他从不吃早餐，只吃晚餐，而且在周六禁食，这属于其例行冥想的一部分。
很多人认为，杰克·多西的饮食属于进食障碍，而不是他自己认为的“生物黑科技”。
然而这项新研究并未对于早餐的健康影响给出确切结论。
正如医学博士博尔哈·伊巴涅斯在一篇文章中指出，有关联并不一定是必然的因果关系。
不吃早餐的人吸烟、缺乏运动和饮酒的可能性也更高。