By 2030, roughly half of Americans are expected to have obesity, a condition that contributes to the onset of chronic diseases, including diabetes and cancer.
According to the National Institutes of Health, there are many factors that contribute to obesity, including behaviors like eating patterns, lack of sleep or physical activity, and some medicines, as well as genetics and family history.
When it comes to strategies to prevent obesity, it turns out that when you eat could be just as important as what you eat.
Researchers at Mass General Brigham have been conducting studies to learn more about the connection between meal timing and health. Here’s a recap of some recent findings:
Teens Who Consume Calories Late at Night at Higher Risk of Obesity
While there is evidence linking sleep, eating patterns and weight gain, the specific influence of the circadian system on our eating habits remains unclear.
A recent study by investigators from Mass General Brigham and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University is helping to shed light on these connections.
The researchers studied 51 female and male adolescents across three weight categories (24 with healthy weight, 13 with overweight and 14 with obesity) and used a special schedule to separate the effects of the body clock from daily habits such as sleep and eating.
The team found that:
- Teens at healthy weights tend to consume fewer calories later in the day
- Teens with overweight or obesity tend to consume more calories in the evening
The team’s findings suggest that our internal body clock (called the endogenous circadian system) affects how much young people eat, even when you remove outside factors like daily routines or environment.
In general, kids and teens tend to eat more in their biological late afternoon and less in their biological morning, regardless of what the actual time on the clock says.
Researchers want to explore why these differences happen — looking into things such as hormones, metabolism, and how the body processes food — and use these findings to help teens maintain a healthy weight. Read more.
Eating During Daytime Hours Can Reduce Night-Shift Related Health Risks
Numerous studies have shown that working the night shift is associated with serious health risks, including to the heart.
However, a recent study from Mass General Brigham suggests that eating only during the daytime could help reduce the health risks associated with working the night shift.
Researchers studied 20 healthy young adults over two weeks in a controlled environment with no access to clocks, windows, or electronics—so their body clocks couldn’t rely on outside cues.
Participants were split into two groups. One group ate during both day and night. The other group ate only during daytime, even though they were awake at night.
The researchers found that the group that ate during both day and night showed increased risk factors for heart disease.
The group that ate only during the day did not show those same increases—even though both groups ate the same amount and types of food.
These findings indicate that daytime eating may help to lessen changes in cardiovascular risk factors associated with working the night shift. Read more.
Changes in Meal Timing Later in Life Could Indicate Health Issues
It turns out that early-bird special at your favorite restaurant could be better for your wallet and your health.
Researchers studied nearly 3,000 adults in the UK, aged 42 to 94, over more than 20 years.
They found that as people get older, they tend to eat breakfast and dinner later in the day and shorten the overall time they spend eating each day.
The study showed that eating breakfast later was linked to several health issues, including depression, tiredness, and problems with oral health.
It also found that people who ate later had more trouble preparing meals and slept worse.
The researchers suggest that changes in when older adults eat, especially the timing of breakfast, could be an easy way to monitor their overall health.
Both patients and doctors could use shifts in mealtime routines as an early warning sign to check for underlying physical and mental health issues. Read more.
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