If your NY resolution was to eat breakfast… and you are struggling a bit now we’re into double figures of January, this study may provide some food for thought.

An 18 year study of 50,000 subjects by the American Diabetes Association showed that those who ate breakfast were less likely to go on to develop type 2 diabetes; or go on to become obese, and less likely to develop dangerous, abdominal fat. Even eating breakfast just 4-6 times a week can help – these subjects were not as protected as the daily breakfast eaters but they were less likely to develop diabetes and become obese than if they had skipped breakfast altogether.

So basically the message is to eat breakfast on as many days a week you can, even if you reserve a couple of days a week where you skip that meal altogether. It doesn’t have to be dry cereal or soggy toast – you can always have a smoothie if you find it easier to have some sort of drink, (tip: throw the ingredients in the blender the night before). Or – have an oatcake with almond butter if you can’t face breakfast until you have been up for a few hours, or your office is a fridge free zone.

This simple change to a long-held habit could dramatically affect your health. It’s up to the nutritional therapist to work with their client to find some healthful food that will be tolerated in the morning… I usually find my clients can introduce breakfast as long as they can have something they enjoy. For those with a greater risk of diabetes, in particular, it’s worth a try.

A reminder of the risk factors for diabetes type 2:

– the overweight or those with a high BMI

– those with parent or sibling with diabetes

– those with large waists (women with waists of 80+ cm, men with waists measuring greater than 94cm, 90cm for South Asian men);

– those with an African-Caribbean, Black African, Chinese or South Asian background and aged over 25 and the over 40’s of another ethnic origin

– those with PCOS, or those who’ve had gestational diabetes, or have given birth to a baby weighing more than 10 pounds.

– those with depression, bipolar or those taking anti-psychotic medication, or those who have ever had high blood pressure, a heart attack or a stroke.

So – if you don’t already eat breakfast – start thinking what you might like to enjoy for the first meal of the day!