Your Arteries Need a Good Breakfast

By Editorial Staff

When people think about heart health, they often think about the heart itself and overlook the fact that the structures that bring blood to and from the heart are equally as important. Consider the arteries, which carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart throughout the body. If your arteries are compromised, not only is your heart put at risk, but so is your entire body because it's unable to get the oxygenated blood it needs to survive.

Fortunately, there's an easy way to keep your arteries healthy, specifically in terms of preventing arterial hardening (atherosclerosis), the leading cause of heart attack and stroke. A recent study suggests the simple act of eating breakfast every morning – which has other health benefits, by the way – makes you less likely to develop atherosclerosis. In fact, people who ate a light / low-energy breakfast were 21 percent more likely to experience damage to a major neck artery and 17 percent more likely to experience damage to a major blood vessel in the abdominal region compared to people who consumed a more hearty (high-energy) breakfast. People who essentially skipped breakfast (coffee, orange juice or similar only) had the greatest risk.

breakfast - Copyright – Stock Photo / Register Mark In the study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, a low-energy breakfast accounted for only 5-20 percent of total daily calories, while a high-energy breakfast accounted for more than 20 percent of total daily calories. Skipping breakfast meant 5 percent or less of daily calories were consumed.

Talk to your doctor about the importance of breakfast and how to prepare healthy, easy meals even when you're scrambling (pun intended) to get yourself and/or your kids ready for the day.



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