Healthy breakfast habits and changes in obesity-related cardiometabolic markers in children: a longitudinal analysis

Background Data on the association of breakfast habits and changes in cardiometabolic markers in children are limited. Methods In total, 6964 children aged 6–13 years from Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Jinan, Harbin, and Guangzhou were included in the final analysis. Daily consumption, consumption of ≥3 food groups, and at-home consumption were defined as healthy breakfast habits. Blood pressure, % fat mass, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides, glucose, and 50-m × 8 shuttle run were measured at baseline (May 2009) and follow-up (May 2010). Clustered cardiometabolic risk score (CCRS) was computed by summing Z scores of five components: % fat mass, systolic blood pressure, glucose, TC to HDL-C ratio, and triglyceride. Results Children who ate breakfast daily had a higher decrease in TC to HDL-C ratio and a higher increase in HDL-C compared with breakfast skippers (both P values < 0.05). There was an inverse association of the number of food groups consumed at breakfast with the change in CCRS ( P trend = 0.005). At-home breakfast consumption was associated with a lower increase in BMI, LDL-C, TC to HDL-C ratio, fasting glucose, and 50-m × 8 shuttle run and a higher increase in HDL-C (all P values < 0.05). Children with two or three healthy breakfast habits had a lower increase in CCRS, LDL-C, TC to HDL-C ratio, glucose, and a higher increase in HDL-C compared with those with none or one (all P values < 0.05). Conclusions Healthy breakfast habits might help minimize the cardiometabolic risk factors in children.