BREAKFAST ISN’T just the most important meal of the day – it could even be a matter of life or death.
That’s according to a brand-new study which claims that skipping breakfast could seriously raise the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
The findings come as part of research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that shows people missing the morning meal are twice as likely to die from heart disease.
The study found that missing breakfast can be linked to changes in appetite, an increase in blood pressure and harmful changes in cholesterol levels.
Scientists also found a linke between missing breakfast and a generally unhealthy lifestyle.
The findings are based on data collected from over 6,000 participants aged between 40 and 75 who previously showed no signs of cardiovascular disease or cancer.
These participants were asked a series of questions around the topic of how often they eat breakfast.
The findings from by Dr Wei Bao from the University of Iowa showed a clear correlation between skipping breakfast and heart attacks.
"Participants who never consumed breakfast had an 87 per cent higher risk of cardiovascular disease-specific mortality than those who consumed breakfast every day,” Dr Bao said.
"Skipping breakfast was associated with changes in appetite and decreased satiety, elevated blood pressure, and harmful changes in lipid levels."