Here's a good reason to eat breakfast every morning: It could keep your heart risks low, according to a new study.


Research published in the journal Circulation[1] shows an association between regularly skipping breakfast and having a higher risk of experiencing a heart attack or having fatal heart disease.


That's because "skipping breakfast[2] may lead to one or more risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, which may in turn lead to a heart attack over time," study researcher Leah E. Cahill, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, said in a statement.


For the study, researchers examined food frequency questionnaires taken over a 16-year period by 26,903 men between ages 45 and 82. Over that time period, 1,572 men experienced a cardiac event for the first time.


Researchers found an association between skipping breakfast and having a 27 percent higher risk of dying from coronary heart disease or experiencing a heart attack. This held true after taking into account other heart risk factors including sedentary activity, exercise, sleep, alcohol intake, smoking status, diet, body mass index and medical history.


There was also a link between timing of eating and heart disease. Specifically, they found that those who ate right before bedtime had 55 percent higher risks of coronary heart disease.


Skipping breakfast isn't uncommon; a recent survey from the NPD Group showed that approximately 10 percent of Americans don't eat breakfast[3] , with men being more likely to skip breakfast than women.



Feel too rushed in the mornings to eat? Breakfast doesn't have to be a huge thing -- check out these step-by-step instructions for making a "Quick-Trick-Snack-Pack" [4] for fuss-free a.m. eating.


And for more reasons not to skip breakfast, click through the slideshow:




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  • ...Are Leaner


    A 2003 study in <a href="http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/158/1/85.full">the <em>American Journal of Epidemiology</em> </a>showed that people who skip breakfast are 4.5 times more likely to be obese than those who take a morning meal. The study, which included 499 people whose diets were tracked over a year-long period, also showed that <a href="http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/158/1/85.full">eating out for dinner and breakfast</a> are linked with obesity risk.




  • ...Are All-Around Healthier


    A study presented in 2003 at the American Heart Association's annual conference showed that not only are breakfast-eaters less likely to be obese, they're also more likely to <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2824987.stm">have good blood sugar levels</a> and less likely to be hungry later on in the day, BBC News reported. "Our results suggest that breakfast may really be the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2824987.stm">most important meal of the day</a>," study researcher Dr. Mark Pereira, of Harvard Medical School at the time, told BBC News. "It appears that breakfast may play an important role in reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease."




  • ...Feel More Energized


    Eating a breakfast that's high in fiber and carbohydrates could help you feel less tired throughout the day, according to a 1999 study in <a href="http://www.colorado.edu/intphys/Class/IPHY3700_Greene/pdfs/atkins/Holt.pdf">the <em>International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition</em></a>. Researchers found that when people ate a high-fiber, low-carb breakfast, they <a href="http://www.webmd.com/diet/fiber-health-benefits-11/fatigue-fighters-six-quick-ways-boost-energy">had more energy</a> throughout the day compared with people who ate a high-fat breakfast, WebMD reported. <em><strong>CORRECTION:</strong> A previous version of this slideshow incorrectly stated that a high-fat, low-carb breakfast was associated with more energy. It has been fixed to say that a high-fiber, low-carb breakfast is associated with more energy.</em>




  • …Have Better Cholesterol Levels


    A study in <a href="http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/81/2/388.abstract?cited-by=yes&legid=ajcn;81/2/388">the <em>American Journal of Clinical Nutrition</em></a> showed that breakfast-skippers are more likely to have worse cholesterol levels and insulin sensitivity than breakfast-eaters. The study also showed that the breakfast-eaters consume about <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500368_162-673419.html">100 fewer calories</a> a day, compared with people who skip their morning meal, CBS News reported.




  • ...Remember Better


    Eating high-energy foods for breakfast could help to <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/019700709190042K">boost short-term memory</a>, according to a study of 319 teens (between ages 13 and 20) in the <em>Journal of Adolescent Health</em>. Researchers also found that eating a high-calorie breakfast actually seemed to <em>hinder</em> concentration.




  • ...Consume More Nutrients


    People who rarely eat breakfast <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22125684">consume more fat and fewer nutrients</a> -- like calcium, potassium and fiber -- than regular breakfast-eaters and "often" breakfast-eaters, according to a 2011 study in the journal <em>Nutrition Research and Practice</em>.




  • …Have An Excuse To Eat Healthy Breakfast Foods


    Breakfast-eaters have an excuse to consume healthy breakfast-time foods like oatmeal, eggs, grapefruit and coffee. Oatmeal has been shown in many studies to be <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/uok-ohc010808.php">good for cholesterol levels</a>, and research has also shown that it could help <a href="http://ase.tufts.edu/psychology/spacelab/pubs/MahoneyEtAl.pdf">improve children's memory</a> and attention skills when eaten for breakfast, compared with ready-to-eat cereals. Grapefruit is high in vitamins C and A, and has also been shown in a <em>Clinical Cancer Research</em> study this year to <a href="http://www.ivillage.com/grapefruit-juice-may-give-boost-cancer-treatment-study/4-a-478748">boost the beneficial effects of cancer drugs</a>, HealthDay reported. Eating eggs for breakfast has been linked to <a href="http://www.jacn.org/content/24/6/510.full">increased satiety </a><em>and</em> less food consumed later in the day, compared with eating bagels for breakfast, according to a 2005 study in the <em>Journal of the American College of Nutrition</em>. (The study was funded by the Egg Nutrition Center.) And coffee, of course, has been linked to a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/31/coffee-health-benefits_n_1064577.html#slide=440649">whole host of health benefits</a>, from a decreased risk of depression to a lower risk of some cancers and Type 2 diabetes.




  • How to make Breakfast Shake


    Learn how to start the day with a healthy breakfast, the breakfast shake.