Eating a balanced, hearty breakfast of good nutritional quality is important in order not to develop metabolic syndrome, according to a study by Swedish researchers at Umea University published in the specialist journal Public Health Nutrition.
Adolescents who eat a nutrient-poor breakfast are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome in adulthood and therefore increase their risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes.
Metabolic syndrome is not a disease in itself. Rather, it designates the presence of a set of physiological signs that increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
We speak of metabolic syndrome when at least 3 of the following risk factors are present: abdominal overweight, high blood triglycerides, hypertension, low “good” cholesterol (HDL) and high blood sugar.
A balanced breakfast helps prevent metabolic syndrome
In 1981, the researchers recruited student volunteers from Lukea who had to fill in a very precise questionnaire on their diet and in particular what made up their breakfast.
27 years later, these volunteers had blood tests and researchers compared the nutritional quality of their breakfast and their metabolic syndrome.
The study showed that young people who neglected the first meal of the day had a 68% higher incidence of developing metabolic syndrome than others. They were therefore more at risk of suffering from cardiovascular disorders, diabetes or stroke.
“More studies are needed before we are able to understand the mechanisms involved in the link between a poor quality breakfast and metabolic syndrome, but our results and those of several other studies suggest that eating poorly in the early days. -Lunch can have a negative effect on blood sugar regulation, “says Maria Wennberg, lead author of the study.
