It turns out, Mom was right – breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially for men.
A new study from a group of Harvard researchers found that guys who regularly skip their morning meal could be more likely to develop heart disease. Public this week in the journal Circulation, the study monitored the health of nearly 27,000 middle-aged and older men over the course of 16 years.
While other risk factors such as body mass index may be involved, the authors concluded "in this large, prospective study of middle-aged and older U.S. male health professionals that breakfast eating was associated with a lowered risk of (coronary heart disease).”
Researchers and other experts alike were unsure exactly why breakfast helps keep men healthier, according to USA Today.
“We don't know whether it's the timing or content of breakfast that's important. It's probably both," said Andrew Odegaard, a University of Minnesota researcher who has studied a link between skipping breakfast and health problems. "Generally, people who eat breakfast tend to eat a healthier diet.”
Other research suggests that eating more protein for breakfast is also beneficial, and with a large proportion of milk consumed with breakfast, it may be the perfect opportunity to reverse the long downward slide in per-capita milk consumption.
In 2011, Steven Goldbach, partner at the Monitor research firm, outlined a marketing strategy for milk that included promoting breakfast. Read more here.