Skipping breakfast can increase your chances of developing serious health issue, research finds
Skipping breakfast - it's something many of us having been guilty of, whether it's to lose weight, an attempt at intermittent fasting or simply down to the fact you're trying to rush through the door after catching one too many z's.
But it turns out the age old myth of breakfast being the most important meal of the day might be true.
Brits in the past have forgone the meal not just as part of their diet, but perhaps to improve blood pressure levels and lower their cholesterol.
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The trend of intermittent fasting has taken the world by storm, no thanks to the influence of celebrities and social media creators.
Doing this limits the time in the day that you can consume your food, confining it to a certain time window.
The most popular window used is an eight-hour period after breakfast - for example 12.00pm-8.00pm - which is followed by a 16-hour fast before you can eat again.
This is called the Leangains protocol and people may find it to be a good way to lose weight, but new research claims that this diet could increase the chances of developing a major health problem.
The American Heart Association published the study in question, surveying approximately 20,000 adults with an average age 49 based in the US.
Participants were studied for eight to 17 years, and each of them completed 24-hour dietary recall questionnaires, with results proving quite interesting.
Results showed that those who consumed their food within a period of eight hours or less in a day had a shocking 91 percent higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
It was also found that those with heart disease or cancer also had a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
Of course, more research needs to go into the subject to confirm these findings as self-reported dietary information is at risk of lacking 100 percent accuracy.
Other external factors that contribute to participants' health outside of eating were also not considered in this study.
Christopher D. Gardner, Ph.D., FAHA. stated: "We were surprised to find that people who followed an eight-hour, time-restricted eating schedule were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease.
"Even though this type of diet has been popular due to its potential short-term benefits, our research clearly shows that, compared with a typical eating time range of 12-16 hours per day, a shorter eating duration was not associated with living longer."
He highlighted that those with existing heart conditions or cancer must be aware of the association between intermittent fasting and the increased chance of cardiovascular disease.
Gardner urged for a more personalised, cautious approach to each individual's dietary recommendation.
Even though his studies found a correlation between the two, he reiterated that an eight-hour eating window does not directly cause cardiovascular disease.
Several reputable medical bodies back up the claim that skipping breakfast is not the most effective way to lose weight, as binge eating is a possibility during your eating window.
As explained by The British Dietetic Association: "You could miss out on essential nutrients and you may end up snacking more throughout the day because you feel hungry."
The NHS backs this point up too, recommending a healthy, protein and fibre-filled breakfast instead of sugary cereals and processed meat such as ham.
Meals like porridge with fruit, protein smoothies, mushrooms on toast, or even a classic scrambled eggs are ideal choices.
Well, on that note I'm off to make some brekkie...
Topics:Â Health, Lifestyle, Food And Drink
Joshua Nair