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Eating breakfast
might have beneficial effects on appetite, insulin resistance
and energy metabolism, as obesity and insulin resistance syndrome
rates were 35 percent to 50 percent lower among people who
ate breakfast every day compared to those who frequently skipped
it, according to a study.
Researchers believe
that eating breakfast may play a role in reducing the risk
of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Moreover, eating
in the morning may make you less likely to overeat at lunch.
People with insulin
resistance syndrome, a metabolic disorder, are at a greater
risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The
syndrome is characterized by several factors including obesity,
high abdominal body fat, high blood pressure, and high fasting
levels of blood sugar or the hormone insulin, which helps
the body store glucose.
The syndrome does
not allow the body to use glucose efficiently, and often patients
also have problems with blood fat metabolism such as high
levels of triglycerides and low levels of HDL, or "good"
cholesterol.
The study included
1,198 black and 1,633 white participants whose breakfast habits
and risk factors for heart disease were assessed from 1992
to 2000. At the start of the study, participants were aged
from 25 to 37 years.
About 47 percent
of the whites and 22 percent of the blacks reported daily
breakfast consumption. After accounting for other risk factors
such as smoking, low physical activity, alcohol use and demographic
factors, researchers found that a reduced risk of obesity
and insulin resistance was associated with daily breakfast
consumption.
The association
was consistent for white men and women and for black men but
not for black women. Researchers are conducting further studies
to explore the difference between racial groups. They also
noted that the study was limited because a causal relationship
could not be determined since the study used self-reported
data.
Additionally, researchers
found that people who ate whole-grain cereal each day had
a 15 percent lower risk of insulin resistance syndrome, an
association that they are studying further.
Science
Blog March 6, 2003
American
Heart Association's 43rd Annual Conference on Cardiovascular
Disease Epidemiology and Prevention March 6, 2003
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