A recent study found that people who never ate breakfast had more than double the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Photo / DepositPhotos
Evidence suggests that when we eat may be just as important as what we eat, say experts.
Your mother was right: breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Delaying our morning meal through intermittent fasting or calorie-counting may trigger a cascade of knock-on health risks.
A new study involving 3000 UK adults, in Communications Medicine, found that for every hour breakfast was delayed, risk of death over the next decade rose by 10%.
While the study authors noted that this was an observational study, rather than proof of ill-effects, it’s not the first time skipping breakfast has been linked to health problems. A study of over 6500 people, in Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found people who never ate breakfast had a 75% higher risk of early death and more than double the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
“This latest study adds to evidence suggesting that when we eat may be just as important as what we eat for our heart health,” says Tracy Parker, nutrition lead at the British Heart Foundation (BHF). “Our circadian rhythms – the body’s internal clock – appear to play a role in how we digest and absorb nutrients. Disrupting these rhythms could have implications for heart health.”
Breakfast skippers are also more likely to eat poorly later in the day, with less fibre and fewer essential nutrients but more sugary, energy-dense snacks. “That can mean weight gain, higher cholesterol and raised blood sugar, all of which increase risk of cardiovascular disease,” adds Parker. Here are six reasons not to skip breakfast ...
Skip breakfast and your blood sugar can spike later in the day, raising your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
“Our body is much more insulin sensitive in the morning because our biological clock is aligned to eating when it’s light and sleeping when it’s dark,” says Professor Alexandra Johnstone, theme lead for nutrition, obesity and disease at the University of Aberdeen’s Rowett Institute. “It can handle a large meal much better in the morning – yet most of us eat around 40% of our calories at night.”
The ZOE Predict study of 1000 people, in Nature Medicine, found that those given the same meal at breakfast and lunch had nearly double the blood-sugar response when they ate it at lunchtime. Thanks to what scientists call “the second-meal effect”, a fibre- and protein-rich breakfast helps blunt this spike at your next meal.
“We should breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper,” says Johnstone. “Aim to eat your first meal within a couple of hours of waking. If practising intermittent fasting, it’s better to have an early dinner and breakfast, rather than push meals back.”
Do: “The ideal breakfast for glucose control combines slow-release carbohydrates, protein, fibre and healthy fats,” says Alison Bladh, nutritionist and clinical supervisor at University of West London. “Try steel-cut oats with milk, berries, ground flax, or chia seeds and Greek yoghurt. Or two scrambled eggs with crumbled tofu, spinach and tomatoes on wholegrain toast with pumpkin seeds.”
Don’t: Reach for sugary cereals or fruit juice which can trigger a sharp spike.
Trying to cut calories by fasting all morning can backfire.
“Skipping breakfast tends to be associated with increased weight,” says Dr Tom Butler, senior lecturer in nutrition and health at Edge Hill University. “A recent meta-analysis found non-breakfast eaters were 38 per cent more likely to be overweight than people who eat breakfast daily.”
Johnstone adds: “Eating breakfast helps suppress appetite later in the day, meaning you’re less likely to snack on high-calorie foods. This makes it easier to stick to healthy habits and a calorie-controlled diet.”
Her Big Breakfast study, published in Cell Metabolism, found overweight participants felt less hungry later in the day when they ate 40% of their calories in the morning, rather than evening. “A high-protein breakfast is particularly satiating,” she says.
Another study, in Nutrition Bulletin, showed those who ate the smallest breakfast went on to consume around 300 extra calories later (mainly from energy-dense snacks), compared with people who ate a larger portion of the same breakfast.
Excess weight raises the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis – all major contributors to heart disease.
Do: Breakfast like a king. “Breakfast and lunch should be your two biggest meals,” says Johnstone. “A high-protein, high-fibre breakfast, such as beans on toast with eggs or high-protein yoghurt with fruit, will help keep you full.”
Don’t: Opt for low-fat yoghurts or smoothies they’re often packed with sugar and calories.
Miss your morning meal and your blood pressure can climb. A meta-analysis of over 14,000 adults in the International Journal of Hypertension found breakfast skippers were more likely to have high blood pressure.
“Eating a balanced breakfast supports healthy regulation of cortisol and adrenaline, which rise on waking,” says Bladh. “If you skip eating, these hormones may stay higher for longer which is linked to raised blood pressure.”
Breakfast is also a key source of potassium and magnesium, crucial for keeping blood pressure in check. “‘Catch-up’ eating later in the day often involves sugary and salty foods that create further strain,” adds Bladh.
High blood pressure already affects one in three adults in the UK – and half don’t know they have it, says Elphee Medici, nutrition adviser at Heart UK. With high cholesterol, it can narrow and damage artery walls, pushing up cardiovascular risk.
Do: Load your breakfast with potassium-rich foods like fruit, vegetables and wholegrains. “Jazz up porridge with dried fruit, banana, nuts and seeds, or add a spoon of no-added-salt peanut butter,” suggests Medici.
Don’t: Tuck into salty, processed meats like bacon which raise blood pressure, warns Medici. “And remember, it’s your whole day’s diet that counts.”
Breakfast is your best chance to bank a hefty portion of fibre – whether it’s oats, beans on toast or yoghurt with fruit and nuts.
“Fibre is one of the most powerful nutrients for cardiovascular health,” says Bladh. “It lowers LDL cholesterol, improves glucose control and helps with weight management – all protective for the heart. It also supports gut health which can regulate inflammation and blood pressure.
The NHS advises 30g of fibre daily but most of us only manage 18-20g. Skipping breakfast makes the target even harder to reach, since classic breakfast foods, like wholegrain cereals, fruit and nuts, are the richest fibre sources.
Do: “Aim for eight to 10g of fibre at breakfast,” says Bladh. “Try avocado on wholemeal toast with tomato and pumpkin seeds (8g fibre); or porridge with milk, blueberries, chia seeds and Greek yoghurt (10g fibre).”
Don’t: Rely on bran cereals, such as Bran Flakes and All-Bran. “They’re often ultra-processed with added sugar and salt, and mainly give one type of fibre,” says Bladh. “Your heart and gut do better with a mix of oats, fruit, nuts and seeds.”
Protein isn’t just for building muscle – it’s crucial for tissue repair, blood-sugar control and healthy blood pressure.
Most of us load our protein into dinner, but research shows it’s more effective spread across the day. A study in the Journal of Nutrition found muscle-protein synthesis was 25% greater when intake was evenly distributed over three meals.
“Eating protein regularly helps maintain muscle and metabolic balance, reducing cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension and obesity,” says Bladh.
A protein-rich breakfast is especially useful. “It sets this process in motion, helping you feel full, and supporting healthy blood pressure,” she says. “Around 20-30g is enough to stimulate muscle repair and provide lasting satiety.”
Do: Choose heart-healthy proteins such as nuts, beans, wholegrains or oily fish. “Smoked salmon (100g) on rye bread with low-fat cream cheese (25g) and hemp seeds, provides 30g,” says Bladh. “A cheese omelette made with three large eggs, grated cheddar (25g) and spinach or mushrooms, gives 28g.”
Don’t: Depend on processed meats – bacon and sausages are high in saturated fat and salt, increasing heart disease risk.
Breakfast is prime time to lock in the vitamins and minerals your heart needs.
“Habitual breakfast eaters consistently achieve higher intakes of micronutrients such as calcium, iron and B vitamins,” says Bladh. “People who skip breakfast often fail to make up the difference later, risking shortages that can affect cardiovascular health.”
A study of 30,000 adults in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society found breakfast skippers had poorer-quality diets and “nutrient gaps” in micronutrients often supplied by milk and fortified breakfast foods, including vitamin C, calcium and folate.
Low calcium and magnesium are linked to higher blood pressure, while low folate and B vitamins can raise homocysteine, a marker for heart disease. “Together at breakfast, these nutrients support cardiovascular health through better blood pressure regulation, improved energy metabolism and reduced inflammation,” says Bladh.
Do: “Include dairy or fortified plant milks for calcium; eggs and beans for iron and B vitamins; wholegrains for folate, magnesium and fibre; and fruit such as berries or citrus for vitamin C,” she advises.
Don’t: Dismiss packaged cereals. “I’d always pick a fortified cereal over a non-fortified one,” says Dr Butler. “Just choose one low in sugar and high in fibre [such as Weet-Bix or Shredded Wheat].”
From nutritionist Alison Bladh
What to include:
Examples: