Meal irregularity and cardiometabolic consequences: results from observational and intervention studies

Abstract

Studying irregular meal patterns fits in with the latest research focusing not only on what people eat but also when they eat, also called chrono-nutrition. Chrono-nutrition involves studying the impact of nutrition on metabolism via circadian patterns, including three aspects of time: (ir)regularity, frequency and clock time. The present paper aimed to narratively review research on irregular meal patterns and cardiometabolic consequences. Only few cross-sectional studies and prospective cohort studies were identified, and most of these suggested that eating meals irregularly is associated with a higher risk of the metabolic syndrome and cardiometabolic risk factors, including BMI and blood pressure. This was supported by two randomised controlled intervention studies showing that consuming meals regularly for 2 weeks v. an irregular meal pattern, led to beneficial impact on cardiometabolic risk factors as lower peak insulin, lower fasting total and LDL-cholesterol, both in lean and obese women. In conclusion, the limited evidence on meal regularity and cardiometabolic consequences supports the hypothesis that consuming meals irregularly is adversely associated with cardiometabolic risk. However, it also highlights the need for more large-scale studies, including detailed dietary assessment to further advance the understanding of the impact of chrono-nutrition on public health.

Temporal eating patterns: associations with nutrient intakes, diet quality, and measures of adiposity

“…Chrono-nutrition is an emerging field of research that refers to the temporal variations in the patterning and distribution of food and beverage intake or eating occasions (EOs), including meals and snacks, across the day (1). Animal studies have shown that deviations from habitual eating patterns negatively affect metabolic and physiologic functions that are also regulated by circadian clock systems in the suprachiasmatic nuclei and peripheral tissues (2,3).…”

Chrono-Nutrition and Diet Quality in Adolescents with Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder

“…The group of DSPD patients and the control group were similar in terms of age, height, smoking status, and alcohol consumption. 1 BMI was calculated using self-reported height and weight. 2 DHD-index score has a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 90.…”

“…There is an increasing interest, besides what people eat, in when they eat [1]. The relationship between dietary intake and the circadian clock is called chrono-nutrition, which indicates the impact of the timing of eating on health [2][3][4].…”

“…All three components could affect circadian rhythms as well as the other way around [6]. Light, hormones and timing of food intake are synchronising factors (also called 'zeitgebers') able to reset circadian clocks [1,7]. These factors could lead to circadian desynchronization when people are exposed to a factor at the wrong time for their internal clock, which might have a negative impact on their health [1,4,7,8].…”

Low dose of luteolin activates Nrf2 in the liver of mice at start of the active phase but not that of the inactive phase

“…The transcriptional activators brain and muscle Arnt-like protein-1 (BMAL1) and circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (CLOCK) induce expression of their own repressors cryptochrome (CRY) and period (PER), resulting in generating 24 hours oscillations. Several human studies revealed correlation between irregular eating times and the risk of obesity and insulin resistance [1,2], and restriction of feeding time contributes to prevent and ameliorate these diseases [3,4]. Thus, feeding time is important to maintaining for human health.…”