Here’s another reason your mother was right when she told you to eat a healthy breakfast: you’re less likely to develop diabetes.

That’s the message for this year’s World Diabetes Day, observed every year on November 14.

Nearly 400 million people worldwide have diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). In 2013, the disease caused 5 million deaths and consumed $550 billion in health-related spending. And the numbers are growing.

A bowl of yogurt.
Eating healthy foods can lower the risk for Type 2 diabetes. (Shutterstock)

The IDF and the World Health Organization launched World Diabetes Day in 1991 to raise awareness of the global rise in the disease.

Studies show that skipping breakfast can lead to weight gain, a risk factor for the more common Type 2 diabetes, in which the body becomes resistant to or doesn’t make enough insulin. Overweight and obese people account for 80 percent of new cases, but proper diet (including that healthy breakfast!) and exercise can often control the disease.

Type 1 diabetes, which stems from the body’s inability to produce insulin, can usually be managed with insulin therapy.