This is usually where I’d say that my wise, older relative once told me the benefits of doing such and such a thing, but not this time. I always say: I don’t skip the morning meal because otherwise I’d be grumpier than a bear woken from hibernation by the blasting of a Justin Bieber CD straight into the ear holes by lunch if I didn’t eat, but a new study says you shouldn’t skimp on breakfast because it might increase your risk of having a heart attack.

Anecdotal evidence of my grouchiness aside, a study in the journal Circulation looked at older men and found that those who skipped the most important meal of the deal (subjectively speaking) had a higher risk of heart attack than those who had a good feed in the a.m. Harvard researchers at the helm of the study say there’s no reason this wouldn’t be true for others as well.

There have been studies connecting breakfast and other health issues, notes the Associated Press.

“But no studies looked at long-term risk of heart attack,” said one of the study authors at the Harvard School of Public Health.

It’s unclear why exactly no morning grub would be a problem for your heart, but researchers think perhaps it’s because those people get a rumble in their bellies later and are hungrier.

What do you do when you’re really hungry? Eat a big meal to make up for the emptiness inside, which means your body has to work extra hard to process larger amounts of calories in a quicker time. Boom, spike in a blood sugar level and maybe, eventually, clogged arteries, say researchers.

Not included in the study is what kind of food the participants were eating, so it can’t be said whether piling on the butter on your toast or downing eggs covered in cheese means you’re better off than skipping the meal altogether.

“We don’t know whether it’s the timing or content of breakfast that’s important. It’s probably both,” said 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.”

Stacks of pancakes and bacon aside, eat your breakfast so you don’t turn into a grouchy, hibernating, Justin Bieber-adverse bear come lunchtime.

“It’s a really simple message,” said one of the study’s lead authors.”Breakfast is an important meal.”

Skipping breakfast may increase heart attack risk [Associated Press]

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