A new study appears to back up the old saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

It found that children who eat breakfast every day are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to children who skip this meal or only eat it sometimes.

UK researchers looked at the breakfast habits of over 4,000 primary school children aged nine and 10. The children also provided blood samples and other relevant information, such as their physical measurements.

The study found that those who consumed a breakfast every day had better diabetes risk profiles - in other words, they had a lower risk of developing the condition - compared to those who did not eat it everyday.

These results stood irrespective of other important risk factors, such as body fat and physical activity levels.

Among the children who consumed a breakfast every day, those who consumed a high-fibre breakfast had the lowest insulin resistance - this is an important marker of future type 2 diabetes risk.

"These findings provide further evidence of the importance of a daily breakfast for long-term health. For children, eating a sensible breakfast every day, one which is high in fibre, may well help to reduce future risk of developing type 2 diabetes," commented lead researcher, Dr Angela Donin, of the St George's, University of London's Population Health Research Institute.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, PLoS Medicine.