Skipping Breakfast Could Double the Risk for Atherosclerosis

Skipping breakfast could double the odds of developing atherosclerosis, according to the findings of a recent study.

For their study, the researchers analyzed lifestyle and multivascular imaging data of 4052 participants without cardiovascular disease at baseline involved in the Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis study. Participants were stratified into 3 breakfast patterns: high-energy when consuming more than 20% of total daily energy intake (27% of study population), low-energy when consuming between 5% and 20% of total daily energy intake (70%), and skipping breakfast when consuming less than 5% of total daily energy intake (3%).
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The association between breakfast and the odds of developing atherosclerosis was assessed using multivariate logistic regression models.

Compared with high-energy intake at breakfast, habitual breakfast skipping was associated with a higher prevalence for coronary and generalized atherosclerosis (odds ratios: 1.55 and 2.57, respectively). This association was independent of the prescience of traditional and dietary cardiovascular risk factors.

“Skipping breakfast is associated with an increased odds of prevalent noncoronary and generalized atherosclerosis independently of the presence of conventional [cardiovascular] risk factors,” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Uzhova I, Fuster V, Fernández-Ortiz A, et al. The importance of breakfast in atherosclerosis disease [published online October 3, 2017]. J Am Coll Cardiol. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2017.08.027.