Skipping breakfast increases your risk of heart disease, study finds

We've all been there – late night, too many snoozes, barely catch the bus, no time to eat.

And while the notion that breakfast is the 'most important meal of the day' has been drilled into us from a young age, most of us choose to ignore this advice from time to time.

In fact, a recent Bord Bia study found that 13 per cent of Irish adults don't eat breakfast at all.

However, it look like our mothers may have been right all along, because new research has found a link between skipping breakfast and poor cardiovascular health.

For the study, researchers analysed the health of 4,052 middle aged men and women working in banks, all of whom had no previous history of cardiovascular disease.

Participants were asked to note everything they ate over a 15-day period, as well as their body mass index, cholesterol levels, smoking status, and level of physical activity.

Researchers then examined the build up of fatty material in the arteries around the heart and neck and found that those who skipped breakfast (or ate very little), had an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

What's more, this link held up even whether other factors such as smoking and high blood pressure were taken into account.

Researchers reckon this build up in fatty material is down to the fact that those who skip breakfast are more inclined to consume excess calories throughout the day.

So basically, no matter how busy you might be, skipping meals is never a good idea.