Is Skipping Breakfast Linked To Type-2 Diabetes?

By now, most people know that skipping breakfast isn't the best idea. New evidence, however, has revealed another reason to take an extra moment for your morning meal, claiming that missing even one breakfast each week can increase your risk of type-2 diabetes by 20 percent.

A recent study conducted by Harvard University and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition analyzed the eating habits and health outcomes of nearly 50,000 women over the course of six years.

After adjusting the results to account for the effects of age, BMI, alcohol and nicotine intake, physical activity, and other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that eating breakfast had significant health impacts. Their study concluded that the women who had skipped breakfast throughout the study had been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes at a 20 percent higher rate than their breakfast-eating counterparts.  

Rania Mekary, a research associate at the Harvard University School of Public Health, claims that when you don't consume a morning meal to "break the fast," your insulin level drops further from the level it rests at while you sleep. Therefore, when you eat lunch later in the day, your lower insulin levels are more likely to spike and then crash.

Mekary states that, over time, this constant flux in insulin levels leads your body to build up an insulin resistance that commonly leads to type-2 diabetes. Some nutritionists suggest that, for this reason, even an unhealthy breakfast is better for preventing diabetes than not eating breakfast at all.

With that being said, the best breakfast is one that is low and sugar and high in fiber and protein so that it keeps you full until lunch and boosts your energy levels to get you through the morning.

Start your day off with this Asparagus Scrambled Eggs Recipe to give yourself a boost of morning protein and potentially lower your blood pressure. If you prefer something sweet in the morning, this Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Cherries will satisfy your sweet tooth without overloading your body with added sugars.