Skipping breakfast raises metabolic syndrome risk

By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D.Reviewed by Lauren HardakerOct 13 2025

Researchers reveal that people who skip breakfast are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome and its key components: belly fat, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. This highlights the power of a simple morning meal for long-term health.

Study: Association of Skipping Breakfast with Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Image credit: Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock.com

A recent study in Nutrients examined whether skipping breakfast is associated with a greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its key components: hypertension, abdominal obesity, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia.

Breakfast and metabolic syndrome

Insulin resistance and central obesity form the underlying biological basis of metabolic syndrome (MetS). The main components of MetS are elevated fasting glucose, abdominal obesity, low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), hypertension, and elevated triglycerides. The global prevalence of MetS is on the rise, highlighting the urgent need to identify novel, modifiable risk factors. Research has examined the effects of dietary patterns and specific foods on these conditions, but the impact of meal frequency, particularly breakfast, remains unclear.

Breakfast is crucial, contributing 20% to 35% of daily energy intake. Metabolic pathways are activated, and cognitive performance is supported by a nutritionally balanced breakfast. Significant health risks may be incurred by an imbalance in the nutritional structure at breakfast or by long-term skipping breakfast, due to persistent deficiencies in essential nutrients.

Studies have examined the possible association between MetS and breakfast skipping, but the results are highly heterogeneous, potentially due to differences in confounding control, population characteristics, and other factors. To date, no meta-analysis or systematic review has synthesized the available evidence on the relationship between MetS and skipping breakfast.

About the study

Addressing the above-mentioned gap in the literature, this study investigated the relationship between skipping breakfast (Exposure) and the prevalence of MetS and its components (Outcomes). The Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were comprehensively searched, and only papers written in English up to 7th April 2025 were considered. Non-observational studies focused on specific clinical populations, did not define breakfast frequency, and did not use MetS or its components as an outcome were excluded.

The initial search yielded 45,432 publications, but only nine studies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The studies were from Japan, the USA, Korea, and other places and included eight cross-sectional studies and one cohort study, with a combined sample size of approximately 118,000 participants.

Study findings

Six studies from Korea, Japan, the United States, and Iran produced inconsistent results. Four studies found no significant association between MetS and skipping breakfast, while two noted that skipping breakfast was a risk factor for MetS.

Based on the glycemic criterion, subgroup analyses were performed to define MetS. In studies that defined MetS using a glycemic criterion encompassing either type 2 diabetes or elevated fasting glucose, skipping breakfast was significantly associated with increased MetS risk, with notable heterogeneity. Studies that used elevated fasting glucose alone as the glycemic criterion found that skipping breakfast significantly increased MetS risk. The pooled analysis showed that individuals who skipped breakfast had an overall 1.10-fold higher risk of MetS, with moderate heterogeneity.

Regarding the association between breakfast skipping and abdominal obesity, three pooled studies showed that skipping breakfast is associated with an increased risk of abdominal obesity. In contrast, two studies from Japan and the USA showed null findings individually. The pooled OR was 1.17.

Concerning hypertension, one study showed no significant association, while two others reported a significant association. Sex-specific risks of hypertension were noted in two other studies. Overall, pooled data showed skipping breakfast was significantly associated with higher hypertension risk.

Three studies noted no significant association between hyperglycemia and skipping breakfast, and one documented a significant association. The pooled data showed that skipping breakfast was associated with a significantly higher risk of hyperglycemia.

Four studies assessed the relationship between skipping breakfast and hyperlipidemia; no significant association was observed in two. One study documented an increased risk, while another noted a sex-dependent effect, a protective effect in women but an increased risk in men. A meta-analysis showed that skipping breakfast significantly increased the risk of hyperlipidemia.

Conclusions

In sum, skipping breakfast significantly increased MetS risk and its components. A well-balanced breakfast could be a cost-effective lifestyle intervention to manage and prevent cardiometabolic diseases.

However, the authors emphasized that all included studies were observational, which means residual confounding related to factors such as overall diet quality, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle behaviours cannot be excluded. They also noted potential measurement bias from differences in how breakfast consumption and MetS were defined across studies.

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