Search Results (8)

Mounting evidence suggests that meal timing and frequency are associated with cardiometabolic health by influencing circadian rhythms. However, the evidence is inconsistent and limited, especially in non-Western cultures. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the association between temporal habits of dietary intake, such as nightly fasting duration and meal frequency, and metabolic syndrome among Kuwaiti adults. A 24-hour recall was used to assess temporal habits of dietary intake. Meal frequency was defined as the number of daily eating episodes. The study included a total of 757 adults aged 20 years and older. The participants’ mean age was 37.8 ± 12.3 years. After adjusting for all confounders, higher meal frequency was found to be associated with a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome in adults (OR, 0.43; 95%CI, 0.19–0.96) and a lower prevalence of elevated triglycerides in men only (OR, 0.23; 95%CI, 0.09–0.60). No association was found between nightly fasting and metabolic syndrome, but a longer fasting duration was associated with a lower prevalence of elevated triglycerides (OR, 0.19; 95%CI, 0.06–0.63). The findings suggest that having frequent meals and longer durations of nightly fasting may help decrease the risk of metabolic syndrome and elevated triglycerides. Full article

There are several determinants of mental health symptoms, ranging from individual characteristics to social factors. Consistent with patterns in the general population, students with evening characteristics tend to exhibit more anxiety symptoms and poorer sleep quality compared to morning students. Meal timing also appears to affect sleep and may be associated with mental health symptoms. In this context, the aim of the present study was to investigate the association of the timing of the main and last meals of the day with sleep quality and anxiety levels, according to the chronotype of university students. This study was conducted in colleges in São Paulo, Brazil, and involved application of a questionnaire to 162 university students. The questionnaire collected sociodemographic information meal and study times, and included scales assessing eveningness and morningness, sleep quality, and anxiety. Students demonstrating a phase delay in both chronotype and dinner timing exhibited higher levels of anxiety compared to morning-type students. Although no associations were observed between meal timing and sleep quality, sleeping later was associated with poorer sleep quality. The study suggests that evening students and those who eat late at night are more prone to presenting mental health symptoms. More studies are needed to further investigate this association. Full article

Dietary habits, including meal frequency, meal timing, and skipping meals, have been extensively studied due to their association with the development of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This study describes dietary habits, meal timing, frequency, skipping meals, and late-night eating in Kuwaiti adults. Kuwait National Nutrition Surveillance System data were utilized to reach the objectives of this study. The findings reveal that approximately 54% of the adults in Kuwait eat after 10 p.m., 29% skip breakfast, and 9.8% skip dinner. Furthermore, adults in Kuwait consume 4.4 meals per day on average. Women skip breakfast more often and have more extended night fasting than men (p < 0.001). Married adults skip breakfast and dinner less than unmarried adults (p < 0.001). In conclusion, this descriptive study provides valuable insights into the dietary habits of Kuwaiti adults, emphasizing the importance of further investigating the association between meal timing, meal frequency, and the prevalence of NCDs in Kuwait. Full article

Recently, intermittent fasting, also known as time-restricted eating (TRE), has become a popular diet trend. Compared to animal studies, there have been few studies and inconclusive findings investigating the effects of TRE in humans. In this study, we examined the effects of 8 h TRE on body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors in young adults who were mainly active at night. A total of 33 young adults completed the 8 h TRE for 4 weeks. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis at baseline and every 2 weeks, and blood samples were collected at baseline and week 4. Daily dietary records were logged throughout the intervention period. Participants experienced significant changes in body weight (−1.0 ± 1.4 kg), body mass index (−0.4 ± 0.5 kg/m²), and body fat (−0.4 ± 1.9%) after 4 weeks of TRE. When participants were divided into weight loss/gain groups based on their weight change in week 4, fat mass reduction was significantly higher in the weight loss group than in the weight gain group. Regarding cardiometabolic risk factors, levels of fasting insulin and insulin resistance improved in the weight loss group after intervention, but not in the weight gain group. All subjects showed late-shifted sleeping patterns, but no significant differences in sleep duration, sleep quality, or psychological measures between the two groups. When meal frequency and energy proportion were evaluated, the average meal frequency was 2.8 ± 0.5 and energy proportions of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks were 4.5, 39.2, 37.6, and 18.5%, respectively; there were no significant differences between the two groups. However, the saturated fat intake at dinner was lower in the weight loss group (3.1 ± 3.2%, 6.0 ± 2.5% respectively). In conclusion, 8 h TRE can be applied as a lifestyle strategy to manage body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors among young adults with late chronotypes. Full article

Commensal meals seem to be related to a better nutritional and metabolic health as well as an improved quality of life. The aim of this paper was to examine to what extent research was performed using the search term commensality related to assessment of timing of meals. A scoping review was performed, where 10 papers were identified as specifically addressing the assessment of timing of commensality of meals. Time use studies, questionnaires, and telephone- and person-to-person interviews were used for assessing meal times in relation to commensality. Four of the studies used a method of time use registration, and six papers used interviews or questionnaires. Common meals with family members were the most common, and dinners late at night were often preferred for commensal activities among the working population. In conclusion, the family meal seemed to be the most important commensal meal. It is clear from the collected papers and from previous systematic reviews that more studies of commensal meals in general and about timing aspects in particular and in relation to nutritional health are essential to provide a solid background of knowledge regarding the importance of timing in relation to commensal meals. Full article

Breakfast skipping (BS) has been considered to be associated with obesity, particularly among younger generations. However, few studies have addressed this issue in a middle-aged population considering sex and the conditions prior to breakfast. Therefore, we investigated clinical parameters, self-reported BS, late-night dinner (LND) eating, and late-night snacking (LNS) in ten body mass index (BMI) categories in a cross-sectional study of 892,578 non-diabetic people aged 40–74 years old who underwent a checkup. BS and LND were more prevalent in men (20.7% and 40.5%, respectively) than women (10.9% and 17.4%), whereas LNS was more prevalent in women (15.0%) than men (12.2%; all p < 0.0001). The overall prevalence of BS increased linearly with increasing BMI. However, when subjects were divided into men and women, the prevalence of BS showed a U-shaped relationship with BMI in men (n = 479,203). When male subjects were restricted to those in their 40s or those reporting LND, the prevalence of BS further increased, maintaining a U-shaped form. Logistic regression analysis also showed a U-shaped relationship in the adjusted odds ratios of BMI categories for BS in men and a J-shaped curve in women. In conclusion, our study revealed an unexpectedly high prevalence of BS in middle-aged low-body-weight men. Full article

Mounting evidence points towards the existence of an association between energy intake in the evening and an increased prevalence and risk of being overweight and of obesity. The present study aimed to describe diurnal eating patterns (DEP) in a nationally representative sample of UK adolescents and to relate the derived DEP to anthropometrical measures. Data from four-day food records of adolescents aged 11–18 years participating in the 2008–2012 UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling Programme (NDNS RP) was utilised. The DEP were derived using a principal component analysis on the correlation matrix. Three orthogonal diurnal patterns were interpretable as (i) a linear contrast (8% of total system variation) between breakfast and an earlier lunch vs. a later lunch, late dinner, and evening/night snack, renamed “phase shift” DEP; (ii) a linear contrast (6.0% of system variation) between midmorning snacks, late lunch, and early dinner vs. breakfast, early and late morning snacks, early lunch, midafternoon snacks, and late dinner, renamed “early eating and grazing” DEP; (iii) a linear contrast (6.0% of system variation) between late main meals vs. early main meals and night snacks which was renamed “early main meals and night snacks vs. late main meals” DEP. After the adjustment for confounders, every 1 unit increase in the “early main meals and night snacks vs. late main meals”’ DEP score was significantly associated with a 0.29 kg/m² and 11.6 mm increase in Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference, respectively. There were no significant associations with the other two main DEPs. In conclusion, adolescents who tended to eat large early main meals and night snacks rather than slightly later main meals without night snacks had higher BMI and waist circumference. Further research is required to explore the determinants of DEP and to explore the impact of the context of eating and socioecological factors in the development of specific DEP. Full article

This study aims to examine associations between body weight misperception and eating behaviors among Chinese adolescents. Students (N = 2641) from a middle school and a high school in Wuhan, China participated in a cross-sectional study in May 2016. A questionnaire based on the World Health Organization’s Global School-Based Student Health Survey was employed to assess responses. Self-reported data, including weight, height, body weight perception, and eating habits, were collected. Body Mass Index (BMI) for age z-score was calculated from self-reported height and weight using WHO AnthroPlus. We used descriptive, logistic regression analysis and a Kappa test to analyze the data using SPSS. Overall, 56.6% of participants did not correctly categorize their weight status; these were much more likely to be girls. Compared with the correctly-perceived group, those who underestimated their weight tended to report eating late at night, having dinners with family, and checking nutrition labels. In contrast, weight overestimating students were less likely to report eating late at night, having breakfasts with family, having dinners with family, and discussing nutrition topics over meals. Body weight misperception was associated with unhealthy eating behaviors among Chinese adolescents. Full article