Researchers Highlight Health Risks of Skipping Breakfast among Diabetics

Lisa Franchi July 30, 2015

Many people still don’t realise the importance of not skipping meals, especially during breakfast. Some think that by skipping breakfast, they can save plenty of calories and therefore lose weight. But a growing body of research suggests otherwise. In fact, skipping meals is one of the things blamed for the rising obesity and cardiovascular problems worldwide.

Not only does skipping breakfast increases your likelihood of eating a large meal by lunch, it also triggers major blood sugar spikes that impairs insulin response. And according to a new study, such effect is particularly dangerous for people with type 2 diabetes.

The study, carried out by researchers from Tel Aviv University, suggests that breakfast is the most important meal of the day among individuals with diabetes.

"It is quite remarkable that, for type-2 diabetic individuals, the omission of breakfast is associated with a significant increase in all-day blood sugar spikes and of HbA1C, which represents average blood glucose levels over the preceding three months.", according to Prof Daniela Jakubowicz – the study lead author.

Their research involved 22 people, with average age of 56.9 and body mass index (BMI) of 28.2 kg/m2, who have type 2 diabetes. For two days, the participant consumed precisely the same amount of calories and the same type of meal for lunch and dinner, only that one day they ate breakfast and the second day they fasted until lunch.

"We theorized that the omission of breakfast would not be healthy, but it was surprising to see such a high degree of deterioration of glucose metabolism only because the participants did not eat breakfast," said Prof Jakubowicz.

Her team found that participants experienced unusual glucose peaks of 268 mg/dl after lunch and 298 mg/dl after dinner on days they skipped breakfast, versus only 192 mg/dl, and 215 mg/dl after eating an identical lunch and dinner on days they ate breakfast.

"This means that reducing the amount of starch and sugars in lunch and dinner will have no effect on reducing elevated glucose levels if diabetic individuals also skip breakfast," the professor added.

The researchers explained that pancreatic beta cells which produce insulin lose their "memory" due to the prolonged period between one evening’s dinner and the next day’s lunch. Therefore it takes additional time after lunch for the beta cells to recover, causing small and delayed insulin responses and resulting in an exaggerated elevation of blood glucose levels throughout the day.

Another factor is that fasting until lunch increases the fatty acids in the blood, which renders insulin ineffective in reducing blood glucose levels.

Other Benefits of Eating Breakfast

Breakfast has always been tagged as ‘the most important meal of the day’. Therefore, we should not try to skip it. Below are a few more benefits of having a healthy, hearty meal for breakfast:

You’d have stronger metabolism.

At night when you sleep, your body goes through many hours without eating anything. And during this time, your body’s metabolism slows down, and gets back to normal in the morning. You want to take advantage of this moment to rev your metabolism and keep your blood sugar levels steady.

You maintain a healthy diet.

Choosing healthy foods for breakfast keeps you on track for a healthy and well-balanced diet. Fruits and vegetables, plus whole grains, are loaded with healthy vitamins and minerals that help keep you energised throughout the day. A nutrient-dense breakfast will also prevent you from consuming big amounts of calories for lunch and dinner.

You will be more focused at work.

Your brain needs food, especially in the morning wherein you have plenty of activities to do. Food is what energises the body, so if you start your day with a hearty meal, your brain would have enough fuel to function well, so you end up more focused and alert.

You will feel happier.

Not skipping meals, especially breakfast, puts you in good mood. As they say – “You’re not you when you’re hungry. Hunger can make you grumpy, apart from negatively affecting your focus.