Skipping Breakfast Increases Heart Attack Risk

Another reason to eat breakfast: Skipping it may increase your chances of a heart attack.
A study of older men found those who regularly skipped breakfast had a 27 percent higher risk of a heart attack than those who ate a morning meal. There's no reason why the results wouldn't apply to other people, too, the Harvard researchers said.

Why would skipping breakfast be a heart attack risk? Experts aren't certain, but here's what they think: People who don't eat breakfast are more likely to be hungrier later in the day and eat larger meals. Those meals mean the body must process a larger amount of calories in a shorter amount of time. That can spike sugar levels in the blood and perhaps lead to clogged arteries.

The researchers did not ask what the study participants ate for breakfast and were not prepared to pass judgment on whether a fatty, sugary breakfast is better than no breakfast at all.

"We don't know whether it's the timing or content of breakfast that's important. It's probably both," said Andrew Odegaard, a University of Minnesota researcher who has studied a link between skipping breakfast and health problems like obesity and high blood pressure.

"Generally, people who eat breakfast tend to eat a healthier diet," he added.

The new research was released Monday by the journal Circulation. It was an observational study, so it's not designed to prove a cause and effect. But when done well, such studies can reveal important health risks.

The researchers surveyed nearly 27,000 men about their eating habits in 1992. About 13 percent of them said they regularly skipped breakfast. They all were educated health professionals - like dentists and veterinarians - and were at least 45.

Over the next 16 years, 1,527 suffered fatal or non-fatal heart attacks, including 171 who had said they regularly skipped breakfast.

In other words, over 7 percent of the men who skipped breakfast had heart attacks, compared to nearly 6 percent of those who ate breakfast.

The researchers calculated the increased risk at 27 percent, taking into account other factors like smoking, drinking, diet and health problems like high blood pressure and obesity.

As many as 18 percent of U.S. adults regularly skip breakfast, according to federal estimates. So the study could be important news for many, said Eric Rimm, one of the study authors at the Harvard School of Public Health.

"It's a really simple message," he said. "Breakfast is an important meal."

Reebok India ropes in John Abraham as brand ambassador

New Delhi: Sportswear company Reebok India on Monday said it has roped in Bollywood actor John Abraham as its brand ambassador in a long term deal.
The company, which is repositioning Reebok as a fitness brand, however, did not disclose the value of the contract.

"We are trying to reposition Reebok as a fitness brand and John Abraham perfectly fits into the profile. He will be promoting the training and running categories," Reebok India Brand Director Somdeb Basu told PTI.

With the association, the company is looking to strengthen the training and running categories, which are its two biggest segments, and inspire Indian consumers to take up fitness as a lifestyle, he added.

Commenting on the development, Adidas Group India Managing Director Erick Haskell said: "Reebok has solid plans in the fitness sphere and we want to give our consumers a never before fitness experience at every touch point."

Reebok, a part of the Adidas Group, will launch a festival season campaign featuring Abraham for its running and training gear.

"John Abraham is the perfect embodiment of our fitness philosophy, we are very excited to partner with him and together take our commitment to fitness to the next level," Haskell said.

In June, Adidas had said it has putting behind the 211 million euro hit due to alleged fraud at its arm Reebok India and the company would focus on growing the brand with plans to open 100 'fit-hub' stores by early 2014.

Last year in May, Adidas had alleged Rs 870 crore fraud at Reebok India by the company's former managing director Shubhinder Singh Prem and former chief operating officer Vishnu Bhagat. The matter is currently under investigation.