Harmful Effects or Consequences of Skipping Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal you have in a day. You must have heard it from your grandparents and parents. But many of us skip breakfast either because we are in a hurry, or because we want to cut down the calories we take in and want to get slim. It is true that you may get slim, but it is only temporary. Now let us see why skipping breakfast is really bad for you.

Negative Side Effects of Not Eating Breakfast:

Affect cognitive functioning:

Having breakfast dally can lead to better cognitive functioning. A study was conducted on a group of teenagers between 12 to 15 years. They were subjected to two trials. In one trial they were allowed to have breakfast daily and in the second trial they were asked not to have breakfast. When visual search test was conducted on them, they showed more accuracy when they had breakfast. When they skipped breakfast, it hampered the results. .this means that breakfast can give a boost to cognitive function.

Big Effect on your heart:

Studies published by JAMA state that men who skip breakfast are at about 27% more at a risk of getting heart attacks than men who have a healthy breakfast. Dr. Leah Cahill, who conducted this research, says that the risk not something to worry about. However, she says that having a wholesome breakfast can minimize the risk of heart attacks.

Those who avoid breakfast are also said to be more prone to hypertension. This in turn can cause clogging of arteries. As a result, they are more at a risk of developing chronic cardiovascular problems, including stroke.

Causes hair loss:

A meal with low protein can lead to hair fall by affecting the levels of keratin. Breakfast is an important meal of a day and plays an important role in increasing the growth of hair follicles. This way you will have strong and healthy hair with zero hair fall by having healthy and protein rich breakfast daily.

Increases risk of type-2 diabetes:

A study was made Harvard University School of Public Health on how the eating habits and health were correlated. The result revealed that those who skipped breakfast were more at a risk of getting type-2 diabetes than those who had breakfast daily. Working women, who often skip their breakfast, have 54% more chances of suffering from type-2 diabetes.

Increased Risk of cancer:

Skipping breakfast can make you overeat during the day time. This can lead to gaining of weight and increased risk of obesity. People who are overweight or obese are more at a risk of developing cancer than those who have normal weight. So skipping breakfast can indirectly lead to the development of cancer.

Make your hangover worse:

At times you may have an overdose of alcohol. Then you are sure to suffer from hangover the next morning. You can get rid of it by having a nourishing breakfast. Take care to have a breakfast rich in iron, folate and various other minerals and vitamins. This will provide your body with the nutrients that got lost from your body. It will also help in giving a boost to your energy levels. Skipping breakfast on the other hand, can make hangover get worse by lowering the sugar levels in the body. This can cause headaches and nausea. So, make sure that you have a good breakfast to get rid of hangover.

May cause migraines:

When you skip meals, there is a great lowering of blood sugar in the body. As a result, hormones are released to compensate for the low glucose levels. This can lead to an increase in the blood pressure levels, giving rise to migraines and headaches. This is higher when you skip breakfast, as it is the first meal you have in a day after nearly about 12 hours of fasting. So, make sure that you have breakfast if you want to stay away from headaches and migraines.

Skipping breakfast leads to weight gain:

If you are on a weight loss program and skip breakfast thinking that you may lose weight, then you may be wrong. According to studies made, it was shown that people who avoid breakfast stand at a higher chance of gaining weight than those who have their morning meals daily. So, instead of getting slim, you may gain extra pounds by skipping breakfast. The reason for it is that missing breakfast increases your craving for sugary and fatty foods. In addition, your craving for food can be so much that you consume anything that comes in front of you throughout the day. The more you are hungry, more will be the quantity of food that you eat. This can often make you take in more calories than what is recommended for you. Constantly skipping breakfast can therefore lead to weight gain rather than weight loss.

Significant drop in mood and energy levels:

Studies have shown that avoiding breakfast can affect your mood and energy levels in a negative way. Here 144 healthy people were divided in to three groups. One group was given healthy to moderate breakfast, the second group was given only coffee and the third group was not given any breakfast. They were then observed for a couple of hours. It was shown that the group who did not have any breakfast showed poorest memory skills and highest fatigue levels. Not much difference was observed in the other two groups. This shows that skipping breakfast can negatively affect your memory and greatly reduce your energy levels.

Slows down metabolism:

You need to have a healthy breakfast for your metabolism function properly. It is the first meal of the day your body is having after a rest of about 12 hours. Studies show that those who have breakfast daily have a higher level of resting metabolism.

After reading this article, you will surely not skip your breakfast. If you have a habit of skipping breakfast, it is time that you get rid of this habit and stay healthy and energetic.