Skipping breakfast increases the risk of dementia fourfold

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Experts have been arguing about the importance of breakfast for more than a dozen years. Someone likes a dense breakfast, while someone prefers to drink one cup of coffee with chocolate.

In the study, scientists studied 525 elderly people aged 65 and older.

They determined the links between certain lifestyle characteristics and dementia. Participants were followed for six years to collect health data.

The results did reveal some associations, especially when it came to eating habits. After adjusting for risk factors such as age and gender, the data showed that those who skipped breakfast in the morning were four times more likely to develop dementia than those who did.

But it's not just skipping of the first meal may increase the chances of cognitive decline. The results also showed that participants who consumed too much salt had a 2.5 times higher risk of dementia. Those who snacked regularly and lacked a balanced and nutritious diet were 2.7 times more likely to develop dementia.

“According to our results, several lifestyle habits were associated with dementia,” says Maki Hirano, a graduate of the School of Humanities at the University of Tsukuba. “Appropriate interventions are necessary for high-risk individuals, particularly those with mild cognitive impairment.”