Teens who skip breakfast increase their risk of obesity and diabetes later in life.
Pupils who said 27 years ago that they ate little or nothing first thing were tested recently and found to be 68 per cent more likely to have metabolic syndrome than those who ate a meal.
The condition involves a mix of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Sufferers also have fats in the blood that can cause cholesterol problems.
Maria Wennberg, of Umea University, eastern Sweden, told the journal Public Health Nutrition: "Further studies are required to understand the connection between poor breakfast and metabolic syndrome.
"But our results suggest a poor breakfast can have a negative effect on blood sugar regulation."