Your mother always told you to eat a decent breakfast to start the day off right but over the years you have let your busy schedule take over and your idea of a good breakfast these days is a strong cup of coffee, because who has time for anything else? The younger generation is picking up on this trend too and skipping breakfast is becoming a habit for them too. After all, if Mom and Dad don’t stop to eat in the morning why should they?
Most of us know, deep down, that our own Moms were right and you really should eat a decent breakfast. The meal provides you with the energy you need to make it through until lunchtime – real energy, not the caffeine induced stuff. But several reputable studies conducted over the last few years offer another reason to take the time to begin your day with a proper meal; doing so may help decrease the chance you will develop Type 2 diabetes, a health problem that is becoming more and more of a problem in the US – and across the globe – right now.
What the Scientists Say
Another big reason that many people choose to skip breakfast is that they believe it will help them lose weight. And it is quite true that those who are overweight are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
But skipping breakfast is not the way to do it. In fact, it tends to put people at risk for unintentionally gaining weight, as they are so hungry by the time lunchtime arrives that they overeat to compensate.
Going back to the diabetes link, consider the following findings;
In a paper published in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2012, researchers followed the eating and exercise habits of 29,000 men for 16 years. By the end of the study, 2,000 of them had developed Type 2 diabetes. The researchers noted that the men, of all ages, who usually skipped breakfast, had a 21% higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who did not. The increased risk remained even after the researchers made adjustments for body mass index and the actual food these gentlemen ate in the morning.
A study conducted in the UK, the findings of which were published in peer publication PLOS in 2014, concentrated on children aged 0-10 living in three different cities in the UK. The children came from a number of different ethnic groups and had varying economic backgrounds as well.
What the researchers found across the board was that the kids who did not usually eat breakfast had higher insulin levels in their blood and more insulin resistance than those who ate it every day, putting them at a higher risk for diabetes.
The Case for Breakfast
More studies are ongoing at the time of writing, including studies to determine whether or not eating breakfast has a positive impact for those already considered to be obese, the sector of any population that is at highest risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. But you don’t really need to wait for the results of those to resolve to make a change for the better and start your day off with a sensible breakfast.
Preventing diabetes is just one reason to eat breakfast, increasing your energy levels and your mental concentration, benefits of breakfast that have long been backed up by science, are big pluses to be gained too. So do yourself, and your family, a favor. Set the alarm clocks ten minutes earlier and make sure everyone is well fed before they head out of the day.
