Higher eating frequency, but not skipping breakfast, is associated with higher odds of abdominal obesity in adults living in Puerto Rico

Meal Frequency Does Not Affect Weight Loss in Overweight/Obese Women but Affects the Body Composition: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES

Studies showing the relationship between meal frequency, weight loss and anthropometric measurements are contradictory. This study aims to determine the effect of meal frequency on weight loss, anthropometric measurements, and body composition.

METHODS

This is a parallel designed randomized control trial that was conducted with 40 female volunteers between the ages of 19-64 years, with a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥27 who applied to a private clinic. Participants were randomized in two treatment arms (3 meals + 3 snacks/day (n = 20) vs 3 meals/day (n = 20)) and same dietary energy restriction (-500kcal) was applied for 3 months. Food consumption was questioned with 3 day food records, and anthropometric measurements and body composition were measured before the study and repeated each week till the end of the study by the researcher.

RESULTS

All of the participants completed the study period. Body weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), total body fat (kg), body fat percentage (%), fat free mass (kg) and waist circumference (cm) decreased, while fat free mass percentage (%) increased significantly in both of the groups at the end of the study (p < 0.05). The rate of difference for body weight, BMI (kg/m2) and waist circumference (cm) were similar among the groups. When difference in body composition analyses was examined, the rate of reduction in total body fat (-18.82 ± 4.97% vs -14.87 ± 7.44%) and body fat percentage (%)(-10.79 ± 4.63% vs -7.68 ± 7.04%) and the rate of increase in fat free mass percentage (%)(7.65 ± 3.16% vs 5.04 ± 3.44%) were significantly higher in 3 meals + 3 snacks group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

When energy restricted and balanced weight loss programs are applied, alteration in body weight, BMI and waist circumference is not affected from meal frequency, but body composition does.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER

NCT05581862 (Date of Trial Registration: 13/10/2022).

Short sleep time may be the main reason for irregular breakfast to cause overweight-a cross-sectional study

Introduction

In recent years, the relationship between circadian rhythm and overweight and obesity has attracted the attention of many scholars.

Methods

To evaluate association between the duration of sleep and the regularity of breakfast and overweight. A total of 1,178 students from Qingdao University were selected by stratified cluster sampling. There were 601 males (24.69 ± 0.80 years old) and 569 females (24.54 ± 0.70 years old). We used body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) to define overweight levels. Chi-square test, Pearson correlation test, and logistic regression were applied to test association among overweight, sleep duration, sleep onset time, and breakfast regularity. Pittsburgh sleep quality index was used to assess the overall sleep quality of the study subjects. Mediation effect and Sobel test were used to analyze the effect of sleep duration on breakfast regularity and overweight.

Results

Only 34.1% of the population ate breakfast every day, and eating breakfast 1-3 times per week was associated with a higher risk of overweight (BMI: OR = 2.183, 95%CI: 1.369,3,481; WC: OR = 2.101, 95%CI: 1.232,3,583; WHR: OR = 2.108, 95%CI: 1.331,3,337). The effects of all types of Usual Breakfast Consumption Frequency on overweight were fully mediated by sleep duration (p < 0.05). In particular, the subjects exercised outdoors more than five times per week slept longer (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Short sleep duration may be the main reason for irregular breakfast leading to overweight. Adequate outdoor exercise is essential for weight maintenance.

Changes in eating patterns in response to chronic insufficient sleep and their associations with diet quality: a randomized trial

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Insufficient sleep leads to overconsumption, but the factors contributing to this effect are poorly understood. Therefore, we assessed the influence of prolonged curtailment of sleep on free-living eating patterns linked with overconsumption and explored associations of these eating patterns with diet quality under different sleep conditions.

METHODS

Sixty-five adults (47 females) participated in outpatient randomized crossover studies with two 6-week conditions: adequate sleep (7-9 h/night) and sleep restriction (-1.5 h/night relative to screening). Food records were collected over 3 nonconsecutive days, from which we ascertained data on eating frequency, midpoint, and window and intakes of energy and nutrients. Linear mixed models were used to assess the impact of sleep condition on change in eating pattern (sleep × week interaction) and the relation between eating patterns and dietary intakes (sleep × eating pattern interaction).

RESULTS

Sleep condition impacted the change in eating frequency across weeks, with eating frequency increasing in sleep restriction relative to adequate sleep (β = 0.3 ± 0.1; P = .046). Across conditions, eating more frequently tended to relate to higher energy intakes (β = 60.5 ± 34.6; P = .082). Sleep also influenced the relation of variability in eating midpoint with intakes of saturated fat (β = 6.0 ± 2.1; P = .005), polyunsaturated fat (β = -3.9 ± 2.0; P = .051), and added sugar (β = 17.3 ± 6.2; P = .006), with greater midpoint variability associated with more adverse changes in these diet quality components in sleep restriction vs adequate sleep.

CONCLUSIONS

Chronic short sleep increases eating frequency and adversely influences associations of variability in meal timing with components of diet quality. These findings help to explain how short sleep leads to overconsumption and obesity.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov; Name: Impact of Sleep Restriction in Women; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02835261; Identifier: NCT02835261 and Name: Impact of Sleep Restriction on Performance in Adults; URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02960776; Identifier: NCT02960776.

CITATION

Barragán R, Zuraikat FM, Tam V, RoyChoudhury A, St-Onge M-P. Changes in eating patterns in response to chronic insufficient sleep and their associations with diet quality: a randomized trial. J Clin Sleep Med. 2023;19(11):1867-1875.

Meal occasion, overweight, obesity and central obesity in children and adults: a cross-sectional study based on a nationally representative survey. Colombia, 2015

OBJECTIVE

To establish the association of the number of meals/day with overweight (Ow), obesity (Ob) and central obesity (CO).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, nationally representative surveys.

SETTING

Colombia.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 6985 children aged 5-17 years and 7846 adults aged 18-64 years were included.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

According to the WHO, Ow was defined in children as a body mass index (BMI)-for-age Z-score between >1 and ≤2 and in adults as a BMI between ≥25 and <30 (kg/m²). Ob was defined as a Z-score >2 in children and as a BMI ≥30 in adults. CO in children was established by sex and age using cut-off points equivalent to those of adults established by the International Diabetes Federation: ≥90 and ≥80 cm in males and females, respectively. The number of meals/day was estimated with a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Meals/day were grouped into three categories: (reference ≤3, 4 and 5+ meals/day). Crude and adjusted relative prevalence ratios (PRs) and their 95% CIs were calculated. The adjustments included usual energy intake/day and physical activity.

RESULTS

In children, 18.5% had Ow, 6.7% had Ob and 4.0% had CO. The adjusted PRs for five or more meals/day versus three or fewer meals/day were 1.10 (95% CI 0.79 to 1.55) for Ow, 0.95 (95% CI 0.57 to 1.59) for Ob and 1.06 (95% CI 0.72 to 1.55) for CO. In adults, 32.3% had Ow, 13.1% had Ob and 44.8% had CO. The adjusted PRs for five or more meals/day versus three or fewer meals/day were 0.58 (95% CI 0.45 to 0.76) for Ow, 0.51 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.72) for Ob and 0.70 (95% CI 0.54 to 0.92) for CO.

CONCLUSIONS

In children, meals/day were not associated with Ow, Ob or CO. In adults, this inverse relationship exists regardless of energy intake/day, whether physical activity goals are met, sex, age and other potentially confounding sociodemographic and environmental variables.

Association between dietary related factors and central obesity among married women: China Health and Nutrition Survey

Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) with a cut-off value of 0.5 has been recognized as an anthropometric indicator of central obesity to predict the risk of the chronic disease. The aim of our study was to identify dietary related risk factors of central obesity based on WHtR. We used cross-sectional data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) in 2011 obtained from 2881 married women aged 19-55. The association of dietary related factors and central obesity was analyzed using binary logistic regression and back-propagation artificial neural network. Overall, central obesity prevalence was 48.4% (1394/2881). Compared to the population of women without central obesity, the population of women with central obesity had an older average age (41.84 ± 6.89 years vs 38.45 ± 7.91 years, P < 0.001), and meanwhile an average lower per capita annual income (13904 ± 15916 CNY vs 16753 ± 19163 CNY, P < 0.001). Our analysis indicated that the score of dietary knowledge (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 0.956; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.936-0.976) and the score of food preferences (aOR, 0.961; 95% CI, 0.926-0.997) were significantly associated with lower risk of central obesity; whereas fast food (aOR, 1.002; 95% CI, 1.000-1.003) was associated with higher risk of central obesity. The study showed the score of dietary knowledge (15.5%), fast foods (10.2%), and the score of food preferences (8.8%) were the most important modifiable factors for central obesity. In summary, aging, fast food intake, and lower per capita annual income were positively associated with higher prevalence of central obesity, while higher scores of dietary knowledge and food preferences were negatively correlated. More nutrition education programs should be implemented by the government to strengthen the pro-healthy dietary behaviors.

Unexpectedly High Prevalence of Breakfast Skipping in Low Body-Weight Middle-Aged Men: Results of the Kanagawa Investigation of Total Checkup Data from the National Data Base-7 (KITCHEN-7)

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.