Skipping breakfast may increase risk for metabolic syndrome
News briefs
- Reviewed by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Breakfast is often said to be the most important meal of the day. If you’re among the people who tend to skip it, you may want to reconsider your morning meal habit. A study published Oct. 3, 2025, in the journal Nutrients found a link between not eating breakfast and increased risk for metabolic syndrome.
About one in three Americans has metabolic syndrome, defined as the presence of three or more of the following disorders: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, abdominal obesity (extra fat around the waist), high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol.
The study, which pooled results from nine studies involving a total of 118,385 participants, found that skipping breakfast was associated with a 10% increased risk of metabolic syndrome. The researchers also found a connection between not eating breakfast and an elevated risk for each of the individual components of metabolic syndrome.
The study was observational. That means it can’t prove that skipping breakfast causes metabolic syndrome, but the findings raise that possibility.
Routinely eating a nutritious breakfast has many potential benefits, including helping your body’s metabolism work properly.
Image: © SimpleImages/Getty Images
About the Author
Lynne Christensen, Staff Writer
About the Reviewer
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
