Harvard Finds Each Hour You Delay Breakfast May Raise Death Risk

Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day. It breaks the fast from the night. It helps your metabolism kick in. But many people delay breakfast, maybe because they’re busy, not hungry, or sleep in. A new long-term study shows delaying your first meal each morning could be more serious than you think. According to research published in Communications Medicine, later breakfast timing in older adults is linked with a higher risk of death.

What the Study Found 

In the research, the researchers followed 2,945 people aged between 42 and 94 in the UK, over about 20+ years. Some of the key findings of the same are mentioned below:

• As people get older, they tend to eat breakfast and dinner later in the day. 
• For each hour you delay breakfast, your risk of dying during that study period increased by 
• People who ate breakfast earlier had a higher ten-year survival rate (~89.5%) compared to those who ate later (~86.7%). 
• Delaying breakfast was also linked with more health issues like fatigue, poor oral health, depression, and anxiety. Sleep troubles and difficulty preparing meals were also more common. 
• Importantly, the study shows an association, not necessarily a direct cause. It could be that as people’s health declines, they are more likely to eat later. But still, breakfast timing seems to offer a useful clue. 

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Why Breakfast Timing Might Matter

Here are some reasons why eating breakfast earlier might help:

• Our body has internal clocks (circadian rhythm). They influence digestion, metabolism, and hormone release. If the meal timing is late, these systems may misalign. 
• Later eating could reduce the time the body has to process nutrients properly and interfere with restorative processes overnight.
• When someone is older and may have sleep disturbances, illnesses, or a weaker appetite, delays in meal timing might be both a symptom and a contributor to other health decline. 

Who Is Most Affected

• Older adults (middle-aged to seniors) are more affected. The study’s participants were aged 42-94. 
• People with health challenges were more likely to eat later breakfasts. Conditions like fatigue, depression, anxiety, or oral health issues. 
• Those with a genetic tendency toward evening chronotype (“night owls”) also tend to delay breakfast. 

What You Can Do: Practical Suggestions

If you want to use this finding in your life, here are some steps:

• Try to eat breakfast earlier, soon after waking up. Even half an hour earlier may help.
• Keep a regular schedule for meals. Consistency matters.
• If waking up late or not feeling hungry, plan lighter but healthy breakfast options so you at least start something.
• Look for signs that delaying breakfast is linked to health issues, for example, persistent fatigue, mood changes, and sleep problems. Address those with a health professional.
• Maintain good overall habits: sleep well, eat balanced meals, and do physical activity. These support your body clock and general health.

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Conclusion

This study suggests that breakfast timing isn’t just a minor lifestyle detail. For older adults, especially, delaying the first meal of the day is linked with higher mortality risk and several health problems. While delaying breakfast might not directly cause an early death, it could signal underlying health issues. Paying attention to when you eat and trying to move breakfast earlier could be one simple, useful way to support better health and longevity.