Habitually Skipping Breakfast Might Be Associated with Elevated Risk for Gastrointestinal Cancer

Habitually skipping breakfast is associated with impaired glucose metabolism, chronic inflammation (as measured by C-reactive protein levels), obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In this prospective cohort study, Chinese researchers examined associations between breakfast frequency and risk for gastrointestinal (GI) cancer among 63,000 adults (mean age, 51) without known cancer at baseline.

Overall, 86% of participants reported daily breakfast consumption, whereas 8% reported no breakfast consumption. During a median follow-up of 6 years, 369 incident GI cancer cases were identified. Adjusted for numerous potential confounders, consuming breakfast only 1 or 2 times weekly, compared with consuming breakfast daily, was associated with…