It’s often skipped during the morning rush, but setting aside time for breakfast offers additional health benefits for women, according to a study.
And what you eat seems to make little difference: Simply making breakfast a regular habit is enough to have a dramatic impact on muscle strength.
Scientists found that women who eat breakfast regularly have a significantly stronger hand grip than those who skip it. But the same benefit does not apply to men, possibly due to hormonal differences.
Doctors say hand grip can indicate general health, revealing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The study suggests that eating breakfast can reduce inflammation that can build up in the body overnight and affect muscle strength.
The vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium found in many breakfast foods can also help.
“Breakfast habits have important public health implications in preventing declines in muscle strength,” say researchers at Southwest University in the Chinese city of Chongqing.
They analyzed data on the grip of 25,819 men and women, up to 83 years old, obtained using a dynamometer, which measures strength.
A woman eating cereal (file image). Scientists found that women who eat breakfast regularly have a significantly stronger hand grip than those who skip it.
A full English breakfast (file image). Women who ate breakfast daily had up to 10 percent more grip strength than those who didn’t.
A pile of freshly baked croissants (file image). The study suggests that eating breakfast can reduce inflammation that can build up in the body overnight and affect muscle strength.
Women who ate breakfast daily had up to 10 percent more grip strength than those who didn’t.
According to the researchers, only the frequency with which breakfast was eaten seemed to be a factor, rather than the amount of food consumed.
They found that a third of people don’t eat breakfast regularly.
Previous research has shown that those who regularly skip breakfast have higher levels of chronic inflammation.
Increases in inflammatory compounds, called cytokines, have been linked to reductions in muscle size and strength.
“It can be speculated that habitually skipping breakfast may have a detrimental effect on muscle strength,” states the study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
He adds that the research is further evidence that muscle strength is declining around the world, while related ailments, such as type 2 diabetes, are becoming more common.