SKIPPING BREAKFAST COULD MEAN HIGHER CHOLESTEROL AND MORE INSULIN RESISTANCE

 

Managing what you eat is one of the most important elements of managing diabetes.  It turns out that, in addition to what you eat, when you eat is important, too.

 

In today’s hectic, fast-paced world, we often skip breakfast because there’s no time or because we’re just not hungry.  If you’re one of those people, you may want to pause and think about eating breakfast, once again.

 

Researchers at the University of Nottingham in England found that skipping breakfast can raise cholesterol levels and reduce the body’s response to insulin.  The study, which was small, raises concern for the increasing number of people that skip the first meal of the day.

 

The team also found that women tended to eat more calories during the day if they had skipped breakfast, raising the risk for weight gain if they missed breakfast regularly over the long-term.

 

Nutritionists and dietitians have always recommended eating breakfast, even though there’s never been any concrete proof that eating breakfast offers health benefits.  But in the February issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dr Hamid R. Farshchi and colleagues showed that breakfast is the meal most likely to be skipped during the day, being replaced by snacking or “desktop dining.”

 

Dr. Farshchi and his team recruited 10 healthy women with a normal weight to test the effects of skipping breakfast over a short period.

 

The women were asked to eat bran flakes with low-fat milk before 8:00 a.m. for two weeks followed by their normal mealtimes. They were also allowed two snacks during the day. (Previous research has found that people who eat whole-grain cereals tend to have lower cholesterol and insulin levels, as well as lower body weight.)

 

After a two-week break, the group then changed schedules and skipped breakfast, instead eating the first meal of the say between noon and 1:30 p.m.  This was followed by two additional meals and two snacks.

 

Both diets allowed a cookie between 10:30 and 11:00 in the morning.

 

After skipping breakfast, cholesterol levels were higher and insulin sensitivity was lower, suggesting that if this habit was continued, the women could put heart health at risk.

 

When the women skipped breakfast they also reported higher calorie intakes.

 

So, the bottom line?  The researchers suggest that skipping breakfast could lead to weight gain, because of the extra snacking and calories that are eaten.