Why eating breakfast before 9am could help make depression toast

Tucking into breakfast before 9am could significantly reduce your risk of suffering depression, a study suggests.

Scientists found men and women who ate after 9am were 28 per cent more likely to have low mood and mental health problems than those eating their first meal of the day before 8am.

Skipping breakfast altogether had a similarly damaging impact on psychological well-being, the study found.

Almost one in two people in the UK are unable find time to eat a proper breakfast, surveys show, and almost a third of those who do grab something on the way to work eat at their desk.

Doctors at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University in China studied the morning eating habits of almost 24,000 adults over 11 years.

They documented whether volunteers regularly ate breakfast in the morning and, if they did, at what time. 

The results, published in The Journal Of Affective Disorders, showed those who made sure they ate first thing were less likely to be diagnosed with depression than those regularly missing out on breakfast completely. 

And early diners who ate before 8am were also less at risk of mental health issues than those dining at 9am or later.

It’s not clear precisely why delaying breakfast has such a damaging effect.

One theory is that eating later or not at all may be an indication of broken sleep, a sedentary lifestyle or lack of daily motivation – all potential warning signs for failing mental health.

Data from the Office for National Statistics show one in six adults in the UK regularly experience moderate to severe symptoms of depression.