Two Time-Related Eating Habits Affect Body Mass Index
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Oct. 18, 2024 -- What time one eats impacts body mass index (BMI), according to a study published online Sept. 12 in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Luciana Pons-Muzzo, from Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Spain, and colleagues described sex-specific chrono-nutritional patterns and assessed their association with BMI and how sleep impacts this relationship. The analysis included data from 7,074 adults (ages 40 to 65 years) participating in the Genomes for Life cohort.
The researchers found that a later time of first meal (β 1 h increase = 0.32; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.18 to 0.47) and more eating occasions (only in women; β 1 more eating occasion = 0.25; 95 percent CI, 0.00 to 0.51) were associated with a higher BMI. Longer nighttime fasting duration was associated with a lower BMI (β 1 h increase = –0.27). These associations were strongest in premenopausal women. Particularly in men, longitudinal analyses supported the associations with time of first meal and nighttime fasting duration. Some sex-specific clusters emerged and mostly differed in number of eating occasions and time of first meal. A cluster of late first meal showed lower education and higher unemployment in men, as well as higher BMI for both sexes.
“We think this may be because eating earlier in the day is more in line with circadian rhythms and allows for better calorie burning and appetite regulation," Pons-Muzzo said in a statement. “However, it is too soon to draw definitive conclusions, so recommendations will have to wait for more robust evidence."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2024
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