More risk by skipping breakfast

IT HAS been described as the most important meal of the day.

And skipping breakfast raises your risk of developing diabetes by a third, research shows.

Those who miss their morning meal are 33% more likely to have Type 2 diabetes, according to analysis of data from nearly 100000 people.

And for someone who avoids breakfast at least four times a week, the risk is 55% greater than it is for those who always eat in the morning.

Experts believe this is because people who do not eat breakfast are more likely to snack later in the day.

Researchers pooled the results of six previous studies exploring the impact of diet on diabetes with a total of 96000 participants.

Study leader Dr Sabrina Schlesinger, of the German Diabetes Centre in Düsseldorf, said 30% of people around the world are thought to miss breakfast.

Ironically, those who are overweight are more likely to miss their morning meal, because they incorrectly believe this will reduce their overall calorie intake.

Scientists initially feared this may have skewed the results, because overweight people are far more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. But the team found that even when they took body mass into account, people of any weight were still 22% more likely to develop diabetes if they missed out on breakfast.

Dr Schlesinger, said: “We believe people who miss breakfast have more snacks during the day and eat more calories overall. They also might have a big lunch and that creates a big glucose and insulin spike, which is not good for the metabolism and increases Type 2 diabetes risk.’’

She stressed that a breakfast high in whole grains and cereals and low in red meat and sugar was the most likely to ward off the condition.