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Eating Breakfast Champions Good Health
Studies find eating breakfast, avoiding smoking and
drinking can keep colds away
By Colette Bouchez
HealthScoutNews Reporter
WEDNESDAY, March 6
(HealthScoutNews) -- It turns out
your Mom knew a thing or two about
good health when she made you eat
your breakfast and told you not to
smoke or drink.
One of two new studies released
today by a group of Welsh
researchers shows those who skip breakfast are far more likely to
catch colds. Their second study found those who get colds are
more likely to smoke and drink, and smokers who face stress are
far more likely to get sick than non-smokers are.
Lifestyle choices can influence your susceptibility to colds and flu,
as well as how much you suffer with symptoms when you get sick,
says study author Andy Smith, a professor at the University of
Cardiff in Wales.
For New York nutritionist Samantha Heller, the findings make
sense.
"Past research has shown that people who eat breakfast are
healthier in general, so that translates into getting sick less," says
Heller, a registered dietician at New York University Medical
Center.
"Both smoking and chronic alcohol intake have their own set of
immune-compromising issues," Heller adds. Smoking impairs the
immune system, while alcoholism is a major cause of malnutrition.
Put it all together, she says, and it's not hard to see why the
researchers discovered what they did.
In addition to the findings about why you get sick, researchers also
found you should take time off from work when illness hits
because most people don't perform well when they're under the
weather.
The men and women in the study reported being in a bad mood,
having slower response times to daily tasks, and having difficulty
concentrating while they were sick.
Heller says this finding is the least surprising of all.
"It's difficult for anyone to feel festive and focused when they feel
ill," she says.
The first study involved 100 people from the local college
community. Each was asked to keep a diary for 10 weeks,
recording any symptoms of illness and any corresponding
problems involving either memory or attention.
After 10 weeks, the group was divided into two categories --
those who reported a single illness and those who reported
multiple illnesses.
The group was then asked to answer a series of questions
concerning general lifestyle habits, as well as life events in the year
preceding the study. It was then that researchers were able to
draw the first of their conclusions: Those who were hit most often
by sickness were also less likely to eat breakfast.
Moreover, those who developed multiple illnesses were also more
likely to have endured a negative life event in the previous 12
months, such as loss of a job or a family death.
The diaries revealed that those men and women who reported
being sick had more bad moods, as well as a reduced ability to
concentrate or perform at their usual level. Smith says the severity
of the symptoms didn't matter -- those who were slightly under the
weather reported the same reduced functioning as those who were
much more ill.
In the second study, 498 healthy students answered a series of
questions concerning a variety of lifestyle habits, including smoking
and drinking. They were then asked to return to the study center if
they developed an upper respiratory infection, and to do so within
96 hours after symptoms first appeared.
Of that group, 188 developed colds, and they were the same
students who reported they were more likely to smoke and drink.
In addition, Smith says the students who smoke, drank and
experienced stress in their lives were more likely to get sick than
non-smokers and non-drinkers who experienced stress.
This, researchers say, shows smoking and drinking can influence
the impact of stress on our health.
"It is also a well-known clinical fact that stress, over time, can
compromise the immune system," Heller says.
The Economic and Social Research Council of Great Britain will
present the findings during its annual Science Week from March
8-17.
Studies find eating breakfast, avoiding smoking and
drinking can keep colds away
By Colette Bouchez
HealthScoutNews Reporter
WEDNESDAY, March 6
(HealthScoutNews) -- It turns out
your Mom knew a thing or two about
good health when she made you eat
your breakfast and told you not to
smoke or drink.
One of two new studies released
today by a group of Welsh
researchers shows those who skip breakfast are far more likely to
catch colds. Their second study found those who get colds are
more likely to smoke and drink, and smokers who face stress are
far more likely to get sick than non-smokers are.
Lifestyle choices can influence your susceptibility to colds and flu,
as well as how much you suffer with symptoms when you get sick,
says study author Andy Smith, a professor at the University of
Cardiff in Wales.
For New York nutritionist Samantha Heller, the findings make
sense.
"Past research has shown that people who eat breakfast are
healthier in general, so that translates into getting sick less," says
Heller, a registered dietician at New York University Medical
Center.
"Both smoking and chronic alcohol intake have their own set of
immune-compromising issues," Heller adds. Smoking impairs the
immune system, while alcoholism is a major cause of malnutrition.
Put it all together, she says, and it's not hard to see why the
researchers discovered what they did.
In addition to the findings about why you get sick, researchers also
found you should take time off from work when illness hits
because most people don't perform well when they're under the
weather.
The men and women in the study reported being in a bad mood,
having slower response times to daily tasks, and having difficulty
concentrating while they were sick.
Heller says this finding is the least surprising of all.
"It's difficult for anyone to feel festive and focused when they feel
ill," she says.
The first study involved 100 people from the local college
community. Each was asked to keep a diary for 10 weeks,
recording any symptoms of illness and any corresponding
problems involving either memory or attention.
After 10 weeks, the group was divided into two categories --
those who reported a single illness and those who reported
multiple illnesses.
The group was then asked to answer a series of questions
concerning general lifestyle habits, as well as life events in the year
preceding the study. It was then that researchers were able to
draw the first of their conclusions: Those who were hit most often
by sickness were also less likely to eat breakfast.
Moreover, those who developed multiple illnesses were also more
likely to have endured a negative life event in the previous 12
months, such as loss of a job or a family death.
The diaries revealed that those men and women who reported
being sick had more bad moods, as well as a reduced ability to
concentrate or perform at their usual level. Smith says the severity
of the symptoms didn't matter -- those who were slightly under the
weather reported the same reduced functioning as those who were
much more ill.
In the second study, 498 healthy students answered a series of
questions concerning a variety of lifestyle habits, including smoking
and drinking. They were then asked to return to the study center if
they developed an upper respiratory infection, and to do so within
96 hours after symptoms first appeared.
Of that group, 188 developed colds, and they were the same
students who reported they were more likely to smoke and drink.
In addition, Smith says the students who smoke, drank and
experienced stress in their lives were more likely to get sick than
non-smokers and non-drinkers who experienced stress.
This, researchers say, shows smoking and drinking can influence
the impact of stress on our health.
"It is also a well-known clinical fact that stress, over time, can
compromise the immune system," Heller says.
The Economic and Social Research Council of Great Britain will
present the findings during its annual Science Week from March
8-17.
