Skipping breakfast could leave you at risk of a heart attack, stroke or diabetes, medics warn

SKIPPING breakfast increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke, medics have warned.

Experts say those who skip breakfast — around one in four adults — are more likely to have high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

They are also more likely to be obese, have poor nutrition and be diagnosed with diabetes.

But gorging on a late evening meal could be harmful too.

It has also been linked with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Experts say the healthiest people typically plan their meals ahead and eat them at regular, well-spaced intervals.

It is thought they are more likely to eat a nutritious, well-rounded diet, and snack less on junk food that is high in fat, sugar and calories.

The advice — described as a “snapshot” of current scientific evidence — was published yesterday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

US researchers at Columbia University in New York say it is important to eat a diet rich in fruit, veg, whole grains, low-dairy products, poultry and fish.

And they suggest limiting intake of red meat, salt and foods high in added sugars.

But they stopped short of dictating the best times to eat.

Instead, the university’s associate professor of nutritional medicine Dr Marie-Pierre St-Onge suggested “eating mindfully” to “combat emotional eating”.