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On busy days, many people choose to skip breakfast in order to get out the door on time or similarly end up eating dinner late because they’re otherwise occupied. Turns out, those dietary habits could pose a risk for osteoporotic fracture, according to a study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. The study of 927,130 Japanese adults, followed over 2.6 years, tracked 28,196 major fractures, with an incidence rate of 10.8 per 1,000 person-years. Skipping breakfast was associated with an 18% higher risk of osteoporotic fractures (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–1.23), while a late dinner increased risk by 8% (aHR 1.08; 95% CI, 1.04–1.12). Both habits were linked to hip, vertebral, and humerus fractures, but not distal forearm fractures. Researchers also found combined effects: those skipping breakfast and eating late dinners had a 23% higher risk (aHR 1.23; 95% CI, 1.13–1.34). Other risk factors included smoking (aHR 1.11), female sex (aHR 2.50), and older age. Data was collected via questionnaires, and osteoporotic fractures were defined using ICD-10 codes.
Grab a banana, you guys: In the data details, what’s somewhat interesting is that male participants were more likely to say they did both, skipping breakfast and getting a late dinner. Proportionally, 68.5% of participants who did both were men and just 31.5% were women.