Association between breakfast frequency and insulin resistance in Korean adults with prediabetes: A nationwide population-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the association between breakfast frequency and insulin resistance using the triglyceride and glucose (TyG) index in Korean adults with prediabetes.

Methods: This study used data from the 2016-2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). A total of 16,925 participants were included in this study. Breakfast frequency was classified as 0 times, 1-4 times, and 5-7 times per week. High insulin resistance was defined as a TyG index of ≥8.5. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed.

Results: Compared with the group whose breakfast frequency was 5-7 times per week, the odds ratio for high insulin resistance was 1.39 times (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.21-1.59) and 1.17 times (95% CI, 1.04-1.32) higher in the group whose breakfast frequency was 0 times and 1-4 times per week, respectively.

Conclusions: This study revealed that a lower frequency of breakfast consumption was significantly associated with a higher risk of insulin resistance in Korean adults with prediabetes. In the future, a large-scale prospective longitudinal study is required to establish the causal relationship between breakfast frequency and insulin resistance.