How a Healthy Breakfast Could Lower Your Cardiovascular Disease Risk
For their study, researchers examined 383 participants in the PREDIMED-Plus Project, a randomized clinical trial that compared the effects of a Mediterranean diet and regular physical activity with dietary recommendations.
Participants were between the ages of 55 and 75 and were classified as overweight or having obesity. They also had at least three criteria for metabolic syndrome, a group of five risk factors that can increase the likelihood of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
The participants were followed for three years with measurements taken at the beginning of the study as well as at 24 months and 36 months.
The researchers divided the subjects into three categories:
- less than 20% of daily energy intake consumed at breakfast
- 20% to 30% of daily energy intake consumed at breakfast
- more than 30% of daily energy intake consumed at breakfast
The researchers reported that people who consumed 20% to 30% of their energy intake at breakfast had 2% to 3% lower body mass index (BMI) measurements than participants who had less than 20% or higher than 30% of daily energy intake at breakfast.
They added that the individuals in the 20% to 30% range also had:
- 2% to 4% smaller waist circumference
- 9% to 18% reduction in triglyceride levels
- 4% to 8% increase in the level of HDL or “good” cholesterol
In addition, the researchers said that participants who had high quality breakfasts had:
- 1.5% smaller waist circumference
- 4% lower triglycerides
- 3% higher HDL cholesterol measurement
“Our body’s daily metabolic rhythms are governed by an internal clock that is affected by when we eat our meals,” explained Cheng-Han Chen, MD, an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in California.
“Changes in typical mealtimes, such as skipping meals or eating during normal sleep times, can then potentially influence the development of cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity,” he told Healthline. Chen wasn’t involved in the study.
Mir Ali, MD, abariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at the Orange Coast Medical Center in California, told Healthline the new research aligns with other studies showing the health benefits of eating a healthy breakfast.
Ali wasn’t involved in the study but told Healthline the study was interesting but noted a few limitations. “The limitations are a relatively small sample size confined to a narrow ethnic group. Thus, the findings may vary to some extent in different areas, but overall, generally applicable,” he said.
“My overall impression of the study is that it reflects what we generally know about health and nutrition. Since it’s just observational, it doesn’t suggest any causality between breakfast and changes in health markers, which is not as helpful as controlled experiments that can determine cause and effect,” Donelan told Healthline.
“Also, the study only included Spanish older adults, which limits the study’s generalizability. Whenever we include only one population in a study, it’s difficult to determine what is due to the factors being studied and what is due to cultural food habits, behavioral patterns, and genetic predisposition,” she added.
