24th August, 2012
Dr Ibukunolu Oluwaseye of Excellence Health Foundation, Jos, has said that people who regularly skip breakfast risk developing Type 2 diabetes.
Oluwaseye said regular skipping of breakfast increased the risk of Type 2 diabetes because the hormone insulin, which is responsible for processing blood sugar, was secreted mainly in the morning.
“If you constantly skip breakfast, the secretion of the insulin is discouraged; this begins with the secretion of a minimal quantity of insulin and it might lead to the eventual stoppage of the production of insulin.
“When this occurs, Type 2 diabetes sets in. This type of diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough or totally no insulin to regulate the blood sugar level,” he explained.
According to him, breakfast is very vital to one’s health.
“But most Africans place no importance on breakfast. Breakfast is to be taken within the first three hours of getting up from bed.”
“People should inculcate the act of having breakfast regularly and at the appropriate time because research has shown that people, who barely skip breakfast, always produce insulin commensurate to the sugar they consume so their chances of developing Type 2 diabetes is very low.
“This is not the case with those who skip breakfast constantly because the act inhibits the production of insulin which in turn leads to Type 2 diabetes,” he said.
Oluwaseye also listed family history, environmental factors, sedentary lifestyle, excessive intake of alcohol and gestational diabetes usually induced by pregnancy as other factors that could increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
He identified major symptoms of diabetes as frequent urination, excessive thirst, burning sensation, blurred vision, sexual weakness, swollen legs/arms, loss of appetite and excessive hunger.
Others, he said, included slow healing of cuts and wounds as well as the loss of feelings.
The doctor further stated that constant breakfast skipping could lead to other health challenges such as weight gain or obesity, cardiovascular (heart) problems and a reduction in a person’s level of concentration and performance.
“When you skip breakfast, you tend to crave for junk food and these junks are usually high in trans-fatty acid and sodium which gives rise to bad cholesterol and excessive weight gain,” he said.
Oluwaseye advised people to inculcate the habit of having breakfast regularly irrespective of their work schedule as a means of reducing the chances of developing Type 2 diabetes and other health challenges.