The cost of skipping breakfast

When it comes to heart health, breakfast really may be the most important meal of the day. New research shows that people who have only coffee or juice in the morning are twice as likely to develop atherosclerosis, or “clogged” arteries, reports The Guardian (U.K.). After examining the diets of 4,052 healthy, middle-aged men and women, researchers found that those who generally ate a light breakfast or skipped the meal entirely had more plaque in their arteries than those who ate a hearty breakfast. They were also more likely to be overweight, smoke, and have high blood pressure. Co-author Valentin Fuster, from Mount Sinai Heart in New York, says missing the first meal of the day can disrupt the body’s circadian rhythms and trigger hormone imbalances, leading people to overeat later in the day. “Skipping breakfast in the morning by itself is not the problem,” he explains. “The problem is what you eat afterward.”