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They say it’s the most important meal of the day, but who among us hasn’t skipped breakfast because we’re late for work, too busy to realise we’re hungry, or simply can’t be bothered?
With the rise of intermittent fasting, skipping breakfast is all part of the plan for some people, too. If you’re on a 16/8 cycle, where you fast for 16 hours and have an eight-hour window in which to eat, you likely won’t tuck into your first meal until midday or later.
As it turns out, anyone skipping breakfast for any reason might be doing themselves more harm than good.
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The American Heart Association (AHA) has published a study covering 20,000 US adults with an average age of 49, with participants being studied for between eight and 17 years. During this time, they each completed 24-hour dietary questionnaires to detail what they ate, how much they ate, and when they ate it.
From the data, the AGA found that people who consumed all their food within a window of eight hours or fewer had a 91% higher risk of developing a cardiovascular illness.
This naturally takes aim at the concept of intermittent fasting, especially the 16/8 model and more extreme models where people eat within even smaller windows, as well as highlighting a correlation with skipped breakfasts and heightened illness risk.
One study isn’t tantamount to absolute proof, of course, and self-reported dietary information is always likely to be more flawed than data taken from lab-controlled conditions, but it’s interesting nevertheless and points to a potential truth that could unfold with further research.
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The participants’ other lifestyle factors, such as whether they smoke, their fitness levels, their stress levels, and social integration also weren’t included in the data, all of which could have a material impact on their health outcomes.
"We were surprised to find that people who followed an eight-hour, time-restricted eating schedule were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease,” said Christopher D.Gardner, PhD., Fellow of the AHA.
"Even though this type of diet has been popular due to its potential short-term benefits, our research clearly shows that, compared with a typical eating time range of 12-16 hours per day, a shorter eating duration was not associated with living longer."
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He did reiterate, however, that this correlation is not proof that an eight-hour eating window causes cardiovascular illness.
Commenting on skipping breakfast to aid with diet or calorie intake management, the British Dietetic Association said: "You could miss out on essential nutrients and you may end up snacking more throughout the day because you feel hungry."
Rachael Davis