Nutrition
Breakfast and beyond: The case for a healthy morning meal
Yes, you've heard it before — don't skip breakfast. Like many other popular sayings, this advice bears a kernel of scientific truth. But why is breakfast so important? "Quite simply, eating breakfast supports good health," says Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. Coming as it does after the day's longest period without food, breakfast seems to influence metabolism more strongly than lunch or dinner. Failing to break your fast with a meal shortly after rising might strain your body, which could in theory lead to insulin resistance, and perhaps even other heart risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol problems, though this is all controversial.
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