BREAKFAST AND METABOLIC SYNDROME: THERE'S A LINK !

As a child did you skip breakfast ? 

You have an increased risk of metabolic syndrome.

This is the result of a swedish reasearch that confirms once again the importance of an adequate breakfast for our health.

How many of us have turned their noses up hearing not to skip breakfast because it is the most important meal of the day? Yes, sometimes you prefer to minimize the time spent on eating breakfast so as to sleep a little bit more.

But the benefits of a proper breakfast are not urban legends ... there are many studies  which support the thesis that breakfast is really the most important meal of the day.

An healthy, balanced breakfast would help to boost fertility in women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension.

Moreover, if you are searching for an effective way to lose weight, many studies show that regular consumers of breakfast have a lower risk of overweight and obesity, while skipping breakfast with the intent to lose weight would be counterproductive as it increases the appeal of high-calorie foods.

In addition to these findings, we have now a new swedish study that showed a link between a poor or inadequate breakfast and metabolic syndrome, a clinical situation linked to an high cardiovascular risk, characterized by the association of three or more cardiovascular risk factors in the same individual (abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low level of HDL cholesterol , hypertension, hyperglycemia or diabetes).

This study showed that, who skipped breakfast or ate insubstantial breakfasts in childhood was 68% more likely to have in adulthood metabolic syndrome than their peers who ate substantial breakfasts, showing an higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors such as abdominal obesity and hyperglycemia.

The mechanism underlying the link beetween poor breakfast habits and incidence of metabolic syndrome is still unknown, but there are many studies that have shown a link between poor breakfasts and altered blood sugar regulation.

So, it's better to get up earlier and to begin every new day with a rich, substantial breakfast that will provide approximately 15-20% of daily caloric needs (15% if breakfast is coupled with a mid-morning snack , 20% otherwise). Let's do it for our health, and .. why not... our taste!

Sources:

McNamee , David. "Metabolic syndrome linked to poor breakfast habits in childhood . " Medical News Today. MediLexicon , Intl , Jan. 31, 2014. Web Jan. 31, 2014. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/271979

Umea University, via EurekAlert news release , 30 January 2014.

Guidelines INRAN 2003

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