Association of largest meal timing and eating frequency with body mass index and obesity.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The circadian pattern of eating behaviors has garnered increasing interest as a strategy for obesity prevention and weight loss. It is believed that the benefits stem from aligning food intake with the body's natural daily rhythms. However, the existing body of evidence is limited in scale and scope and there has been insufficient evaluation of temporal eating behaviors, such as the specific time of day in which the highest calorie consumption occurs, meal frequency, and distribution. This research aims to explore the association between the timing of the largest meal of the day and eating frequency with Body Mass Index (BMI) and obesity. METHODS: Participants (n = 2050, 18-65y) were part of an exploratory cross-sectional and population-based research, with data collection in a virtual environment. Linear regression analyses and restricted cubic splines evaluated differences in BMI associated with independent eating variables [timing of the largest meal, number of meals/day (as continuous and categorical: ≤3 or >3/day), and each largest meal of the day (breakfast/lunch/dinner)]. Logistic regression models were fitted to assess Odds Ratios (OR) and 95 % Confidence Intervals (CI) of obesity associated with the same independent variables. RESULTS: Our main findings were that the timing of the largest meal and reporting dinner as the largest meal were associated with higher values of BMI (respectively, 0.07 kg/m2 and 0.85 kg/m2) and increased odds of obesity [respectively OR(95%CI):1.04(1.01,1.08), and OR(95%CI):1.67(1.18,2.38)]. Those who realized more than 3 meals/day presented lower values of BMI (-0.14 kg/m2) and 32 % lower odds of having obesity [OR(95%CI):0.68(0.52,0.89)]. Reporting lunch as the largest meal also protected against obesity [OR(95%CI):0.71(0.54,0.93)]. These associations were statistically significant and independent of sex, age, marital status, education level, diet quality, sleep duration, and weekly frequency of physical exercise. CONCLUSION: Having the largest meal earlier in the day, concentrating the majority of caloric intake during lunch, and consuming more than three meals a day, may present a promising intervention for preventing and treating obesity/overweight.

Higher energy consumption in the evening is associated with increased odds of obesity and metabolic syndrome: findings from the 2016-2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (7th KNHANES).

OBJECTIVES: Chrono-nutrition emphasizes meal timing in preventing obesity and metabolic disorders. This study explores the impact of temporal dietary patterns (TDPs) on obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Korean adults aged 20 years to 65 years. METHODS: We utilized dynamic time warping method and Kernel k-means clustering to investigate diet quality and the odds ratios (ORs) of obesity and MetS with different TDPs using data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. RESULTS: Participants were divided into three groups based on relative energy intake over 24 hours. After adjusting for age and gender, Cluster 3 (with the highest proportion of energy intake in the evening) had the lowest Healthy Eating Index scores compared to other clusters. Following adjustment for key covariates, Cluster 3 showed the highest values for body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. Compared to Cluster 1 (with a lower proportion of energy intake in the evening), Cluster 2 and Cluster 3 had ORs for obesity of 1.12 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97 to 1.30) and 1.19 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.37), respectively. For MetS, the ORs were 1.26 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.48) and 1.37 (95% CI, 1.17 to 1.61) when comparing Cluster 2 and Cluster 3 to Cluster 1. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals that individuals with higher energy intake in the evening have increased odds of obesity and MetS, even after adjusting for major covariates, including age and total energy intake.

A cross-sectional study of the association between frequency of telecommuting and unhealthy dietary habits among Japanese workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, telecommuting has become a new way of working that has not only changed individuals' work, but also their health and lifestyle. We examined the relationship between telecommuting frequency and unhealthy dietary habits among Japanese workers. METHODS: A total of 33,302 workers completed an Internet survey about telecommuting and dietary habits. Data from 13,468 office workers who telecommuted were analyzed. Telecommuting frequency during the COVID-19 pandemic was extracted from a questionnaire. The odds ratios (ORs) of four types of dietary habits, namely, skipping breakfast, solitary eating, lower meal frequency, and meal substitution associated with telecommuting frequency were estimated using multilevel logistic regression nested in the prefecture of residence to control for differences in residential area. RESULTS: The multivariate OR of skipping breakfast was 1.15 (95% CI: 1.03-1.29, p = .013) for participants who telecommuted in excess of four days per week compared to those who rarely telecommuted. Similarly, the OR of solitary eating, lower meal frequency and meal substitution were 1.44 (95% CI: 1.28-1.63, p < .001), 2.39 (95% CI: 1.66-3.44, p < .001), and 1.26 (95% CI: 1.04-1.51, p = .015) for those who telecommuted in excess of four days per week compared to those who rarely telecommuted. There was a statistically significant increase in the dose-response trend in ORs of solitary eating (p for trend <.001), lower meal frequency (p for trend <.001), and meal substitution (p for trend = .001) with increasing telecommuting frequency. CONCLUSION: Telecommuters may develop unhealthy dietary habits, indicating the need for strategies to help telecommuters manage their nutrition and diet.

Hábitos alimentarios de la población urbana costarricense / Food habits of urban Costa Rican population

Resumen Objetivo: Es sabido que los malos hábitos alimentarios contribuyen a la aparición de enfermedades crónicas, como la obesidad y la diabetes mellitus, sin embargo, no existe información actualizada respecto a la alimentación de la población urbana en Costa Rica. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los hábitos alimentarios de la población costarricense incluida en el Estudio Latinoamericano de Nutrición y Salud (ELANS). Métodos: Se incluyó una muestra de 798 participantes entre 15 y 65 años del área urbana de Costa Rica. Se determinó el consumo diario promedio de alimentos y la frecuencia por tiempo de comida de acuerdo al sexo, el grupo de edad y el nivel socioeconómico. Resultados: Los grupos de alimentos más consumidos en el desayuno fueron café y panes, en la merienda de la mañana frutas, en la merienda de la tarde café y panes y en el almuerzo y la cena arroz blanco, bebidas con azúcar y leguminosas. Se determinaron algunas diferencias en los alimentos incluidos en los diferentes tiempos de comida entre hombres y mujeres, según el grupo de edad y el nivel socioeconómico de los participantes. Conclusión: Los hábitos alimentarios de la población costarricense se caracterizaron por ser poco variados, y poseer un alto consumo de café, panes, arroz blanco y bebidas con azúcar y un consumo insuficiente de leguminosas, frutas, vegetales no harinosos y pescado. Esta información puede ser utilizada para la implementación de programas nutricionales tendientes a mejor los hábitos de alimentación en el país.

Abstract Objective: It is known that poor eating habits contribute to the onset of chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes mellitus, among others, however there is no recent information regarding the diet of the urban population in Costa Rica. The objective of this study was to analyze the dietary habits of the Costa Rican population included in the Latin American Nutrition and Health Study (ELANS). Methods: A sample of 798 participants between 15 and 65 years of urban areas of Costa Rica was included. The average daily consumption of food and the frequency per meal time were determined according to sex, age group and socioeconomic level. Results: The most consumed food groups at breakfast were coffee and bread, in the morning snack fruits, in the afternoon snack coffee and bread and at lunch and dinner white rice, sweetened beverages and legumes. Some differences were determined in the foods included in the different meal times between according to sex, age group and socioeconomic status of the participants. Conclusion: The dietary habits of the Costa Rican population were characterized by having little variety, a high consumption of coffee, bread, white rice and sweetened beverages and insufficient consumption of legumes, fruits, non-starchy vegetables and fish. This information can be used for the implementation of nutritional programs aimed at improving eating habits in the country.

Vocal activities reflect the temporal distribution of bottlenose dolphin social and non-social activity in a zoological park.

Under natural conditions bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) spend their time mostly feeding and then travelling, socializing, or resting. These activities are not randomly distributed, with feeding being higher in early morning and late afternoon. Social activities and vocal behavior seem to be very important in dolphin daily activity. This study aimed to describe the activity time-budget and its relation to vocal behavior for dolphins in a zoological park. We recorded behaviors and vocalizations of six dolphins over 2 months. All subjects performed more non-agonistic social interactions and play in the morning than in the afternoon. The different categories of vocalizations were distributed non-randomly throughout the day, with more chirps in the afternoon, when the animals were "less social." The most striking result was the strong correlation between activities and the categories of vocalizations produced. The results confirm the association between burst pulses and whistles with social activities, but also reveal that both are also associated with solitary play. More chirps were produced when dolphins were engaged in socio-sexual behaviors, emphasizing the need for further questioning about the function of this vocal category. This study reveals that: (i) in a group kept in zoological management, social activities are mostly present in the morning; and (ii) the acoustic signals produced by dolphins may give a reliable representation of their current activities. While more studies on the context of signal production are needed, our findings provide a useful tool for understanding free ranging dolphin behavior when they are not visible.

Eating together and eating alone: meal arrangements in British households.

Sociology traditionally accounts for eating in terms of the social organization of meals, their provision and consumption. A recurrent public concern is that the meal is being subverted. This paper examines meal arrangements in British households in 2012, drawing on an online survey in the format of a food diary administered to 2784 members of a supermarket consumer panel. It charts the organization of contemporary eating occasions, paying attention to socio-demographic variation in practice. Especially, it explores companionless meals, putting them in contexts of food provisioning and temporal rhythms. Findings show that eating alone is associated with simpler, quicker meals, and that it takes place most commonly in the morning and midday. Those living alone eat alone more often, but at similar meal times, and they take longer over their lone meals. Comparison with a similar study in 1955-6 suggests some fragmentation or relaxation in collective schedules. The implications are not straightforward, and the causes probably lie more in institutional shifts than personal preferences. Declining levels of commensality are, however, associated with a reduction in household size and, especially in households with children, difficulties of coordinating family members' schedules.