Here's some news that will delight the defenders of the morning butter sandwich:going without breakfast is dangerous for our arteries, and it's science that affirms it (even if we must admit that our Mom was right , for all these years!). The reason ? Skipping breakfast would be linked to an increased risk of developing thickening of the artery walls (arteriosclerosis), itself leading to cardiovascular disease in the long term... The study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology demonstrates that breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day!
To reach these conclusions, the researchers examined the diet and health of more than 4,000 people, men and women, with no cardiovascular history for 15 days. A good breakfast resulted in an intake of 20% of the day's calories during this meal. Only 27.7% of the participants ate a good breakfast, the majority (69.4%) taking a light one (5 to 20% of the caloric intake of the day) and 2.9% zapped it completely. Verdict? People skipping breakfast and those taking a light meal had an accumulation of fat in the arteries and showed more markers of cardiovascular risk. Skipping breakfast was also associated with greater waist circumference as well as higher body mass index, blood pressure, blood lipids and fasting glucose levels. In general, people who did not start the day with a high-calorie breakfast had less healthy lifestyle habits, a tendency to drink alcohol, smoke, and be overweight or even obese (although their goal in not consuming calories in the morning was perhaps to lose weight…). The researchers believe that this study could help to understand one of the causes of obesity.
In summary, this study demonstrates above all that the food choices we make in the morning have an impact on those of the rest of the day. There is no point in depriving yourself in the morning if you don't eat a balanced diet afterwards!
