New research suggests that eating breakfast could improve heart health

Opinions on breakfast tend to vary widely: Some say it's the most important meal of the day, while others stick to water until lunchtime rolls around. And the science has gone back and forth on the subject.

Well, add another point to the pro-breakfast column: A new study found that people who skipped breakfast had up to 87 percent more risk for "cardiovascular-related death," USA Today reported. The study, published in this month's issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, took a look at data from 6,550 American adults who were surveyed on their breakfast habits from 1988 to 1994, as well as follow-up data from 2011 on their overall health.

Of the 6,550 initial survey participants, 59 percent reported that they ate breakfast every day, 36 percent said they ate breakfast sometimes, and just 5 percent said they never ate breakfast. By 2011, some data took shape: 2,318 of the participants had died by then, and 619 of those deaths were "heart disease-linked." In addition, people who skipped breakfast were more likely to have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and other factors that might contribute to the risk of heart disease.

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The study is the first to admit that it's based on "limited data" — this is much more of a general trend than a direct cause and effect. But the research does support "the benefits of eating breakfast in promoting cardiovascular health," the authors wrote. So maybe it's best to pick up some cereal the next time you're at the grocery store.