Skipping breakfast is a tell-tale sign

Skipping breakfast seems a simple way of losing weight or saving time while getting the children ready for school or rushing off to work.

But it can also be a sign of an unhealthy lifestyle with potentially dangerous consequences, including a higher risk of premature death.

According to a study, adults and teenagers who miss the first meal of the day are less likely to look after their health.

They tend to smoke more, drink more alcohol and take less exercise than those who do eat.

Those who skip food in the morning are also more likely to be fatter and less well- educated, meaning they find it harder to get a job.

Researcher Dr Anna Keski-Rahkonen said: 'Smoking, infrequent exercise, a low level of education, frequent alcohol use and a high body mass index were all associated with skipping breakfast in adults and adolescents.

'Our findings suggest this association exists throughout adulthood. 'Individuals who skip breakfast may care less about their health than those who eat breakfast.'

Previously, experts assumed that missing breakfast - often called 'the most important meal of the day' - was simply the marker of a hectic life or a way to try to lose weight.

But Dr Keski-Rahkonen, who led the study at Helsinki University, said the results revealed starting the day without food suggests an unhealthy lifestyle.

Researchers questioned 5,500 teenage boys and girls and their parents in Finland on whether they ate breakfast and how often. Details were also recorded about education, weight and drinking habits.

A disturbing finding was that parents who skip their morning meal teach their children to do the same, said Dr Keski-Rahkonen.

'Children of breakfast-skipping parents were much more likely to skip it themselves,' she said.

'During early and mid-adolescence, disordered eating patterns are very strongly associated with health-compromising behaviours like use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana.'

The research, in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation, backs up evidence that starting the day on a full stomach helps to control appetite and keep weight down.

It is thought that breakfast may stabilise blood sugar levels, which regulate hunger and energy.

A study of more than 3,000 Americans found that those who ate breakfast regularly were significantly less likely to be obese or have diabetes than those who skipped it. Amanda Wynne, of the British Dietetic Association, agreed that missing breakfast can be a marker for problems.

'It's an opportunity to get good nutrition into your body,' she said. 'It can also help with performance. Studies show children do better in class when they eat first thing in the morning.'