Skipping breakfast can worsen the development of heart disease by affecting how the small intestine absorbs fats, according to a new Chinese study.
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This finding could suggest that the ancient Buddhist discipline of missing dinner and fasting from noon to sunrise is a better approach than modern dietary trends that restrict intake to the middle of the day.
“Intermittent fasting regimens, including time-restricted eating (TRE), have gained popularity over the past few years due to their metabolic benefits,” the team led by Zhejiang University wrote in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell on October 19.
The researchers found that while reducing the window for eating can have metabolic benefits, the time of day when food is consumed matters.
“A feeding pattern similar to skipping breakfast will cause intestinal epithelial cells to memory upregulate the expression of key proteins for lipid absorption, resulting in excessive absorption of lipids and exacerbating the development of cardiovascular disease,” study co-author Zhang Jian said in a post from the university on WeChat.
The small intestine is the main place from where nutrients from food and the microbiome are absorbed into the bloodstream. It is also where the body receives systemic nutrients from metabolic organs like the liver – our main source of energy in a fasted state.