Breakfast: A Very Important Meal For Your Health

Skipping breakfast because you think that one less meal through the day will help you lose weight?  Well, you may want to rethink that.  The medical literature reports that roughly 10%-20% of Americans routinely skip breakfast whether for weight management or out of convenience.

A new report on a randomized trial finds that skipping breakfast can trigger a condition referred to as insulin resistance.  It was found that skipping breakfast triggered acute insulin resistance and elevated levels of free fatty acids in nine obese, non-diabetic women, compared with a day on which they ate breakfast.

Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the pancreas and released in the blood stream in response to sugars in the blood (glucose).  Glucose is obtained from nearly all the food we eat and serves as the fuel to produce energy for every tissue of the body.  The insulin is necessary for the glucose in the blood to enter the tissues, sort of like a key in a lock.  When the body develops resistance to insulin the body is then forced to dump more insulin into the blood stream in an attempt to "open up the tissues".  Ironically this excess insulin release tends to make the tissues even more resistant, and the cycle repeats itself over and over with each skipped breakfast. The situation is not much better with a breakfast that is high in refined carbohydrates (ie, breakfast cereals) and low in proteins. 

Insulin resistance is the forerunner of type 2 diabetes and a component of the disorder metabolic syndrome.  Elevated insulin levels in the blood have also been linked to a number of other health compromising conditions.

On the days of skipped breakfast indirect calorimetry measures showed decreased energy expenditure (difficulty burning calories) and a significantly reduced respiratory quotient (a measurement of basal metabolic rate), which indicates greater fat oxidation (LDL cholesterol production).

Just 1 day of missing breakfast could do this.  It is easy to see how skipping breakfast regularly over time may lead to further metabolic problems such as chronic insulin resistance and possible progression to type 2 diabetes.

It seems breakfast is an important meal of the day, maybe more so than originally thought.  It is important to eat a balanced breakfast containing a significant amount of quality protein such as eggs or yogurt.

For your better health,
Dr. Heller