Diabetes and the benefits of breakfast

The newest research shows that skipping breakfast can increase your risk for diabetes. In a study published in March by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers followed 29,000 men over 16 years to conclude that those who regularly skipped breakfast had a 21 percent greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

The body is like a machine that needs fuel. Say you’re taking a road trip from Delaware to Florida. Ideally, you would start the trip on a full tank of gas and fuel up at equal intervals along the way. It would be illogical to start the trip on an empty tank and expect to fuel up with three tanks of gas in Florida. The same holds true for the human body. Our bodies are depleted of fuel overnight, and we need to replenish that fuel supply with breakfast daily. A good rule of thumb is for people to eat breakfast within one hour of awakening every day. Balancing overall food intake among breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the day controls blood sugars and body weight better.

Whether you are interested in managing your diabetes or eliminating a risk factor for developing it, including breakfast daily is a behavior goal that can help you start each day off on the right foot.

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