A recent study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine has shed light on the potential health consequences of a nocturnal lifestyle that spurns the dawn's first meal. Habitual breakfast-skipping may not only transform you into a night owl but, more alarmingly, elevate your risk of gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancers.
This comprehensive investigation unveiled a staggering revelation: those who partook in breakfast only once or twice weekly faced a risk more than three-fold of developing stomach and liver cancer when compared to their daily breakfast counterparts. Meanwhile, the stakes were even higher for individuals who entirely shunned the morning repast, as they were exposed to over double the risk of esophageal and colorectal cancers in contrast to the breakfast regulars. Astonishingly, those who omitted breakfast completely faced a jaw-dropping increase of over five-fold in their susceptibility to bile duct cancer. The study encompassed a five-year tracking period, scrutinizing nearly 63,000 participants, ultimately detecting 369 gastrointestinal cancer cases during the follow-up.
The root of this risk, as elucidated by Dr. Shailesh Shrikhande, Deputy Director of Mumbai's prestigious Tata Memorial Hospital and an esteemed specialist in gastrointestinal cancers, lies in the insidious inflammatory effects on the GI tract. He expounds, "The secretion of gastric and intestinal juices is ceaseless, with heightened activity following food consumption. Yet, when breakfast is forgone for extended periods, these juices remain active with no sustenance to digest. Prolonged fasting effectively subjects the stomach and food pipe to the relentless action of these juices, predominantly hydrochloric acid. This unrelenting assault corrodes the lining of the stomach and intestines, setting in motion a cascade of pathological changes that can ultimately culminate in the ominous specter of cancer."