Preventive Medicine
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in our country and costs an estimated $108.9 billion annually, making the reduction of heart disease a very important topic both from a personal and a global perspective. We all know the basics: eat well, don’t smoke, exercise regularly, keep your weight under control and of course, genetics. What research is now telling us is that when, not just what, you eat may be important in lowering your risk factor for heart disease as well. While more research is bound to follow, the release of a study by Harvard suggests there was a significant increase (27%) in heart attacks in the men who did not eat breakfast. While not as common as skipping breakfast, late night snacking also increased heart disease risk in the study of 27,000 men. The why is still a little unclear. Maybe people with stressful jobs are less likely to eat breakfast, meals eaten later might be less healthy, people who exercise regularly might tend to eat breakfast or there may be an unknown variable. The study did not include women, but the trend seems to apply to women as well.
Are you convinced? You should be. What an easy way to lower your risk for heart disease! You can’t change your parents, quitting smoking is hard and regular exercise takes a lot of time. Eating breakfast? That’s doable. Eat something with some fiber, maybe some vegetables or fruit (you probably aren’t getting enough, but that’s a whole other topic) and some protein. Don’t feel like you have time in the morning? Keep non-perishable breakfast items in your car or at your desk or make your breakfast the night before and leave in the refrigerator. Aren’t hungry in the morning? Fake it ‘til you make it. Keep eating breakfast and eventually your stomach will get on board. If you have kids, eating breakfast together not only sets a good example, it may lower their risk for heart disease too and will set you all up for a better day.
References:
- Kochanek KD, Xu JQ, Murphy SL, Miniño AM, Kung HC. Deaths: final data for 2009. National vital statistics reports. 2011;60(3).
- Roger VL, Go AS, Lloyd-Jones DM, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2012 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2012;125(1):e2–220.
- Cahill, Leah E., et al. (2013). Prospective Study of Breakfast Eating and Incident Coronary Heart Disease in a Cohort of Male US Health Professionals. Circulation. 2013;128:337-343, doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.001474
About the Author:
Michaela is a Clinical Physiologist for BaySport in their San Francisco office. As a graduate from the Master’s program in Exercise Physiology at San Francisco State University, she graduated suma cum laude and received the Distinguished Academic Achievement award for her thesis work on cycling economy. While at San Francisco State University, she taught undergraduate physical activity courses including aerobics and strength training and assisted with undergraduate research projects. Michaela is classically trained in ballet and other dance forms and has spent many years as a professional dancer.
