When You Eat Breakfast May Matter More Than You Think, Study Finds
Summary
A study of over 31,000 U.S. adults found that the time people eat their first and last meals each day is linked to their risk of death and life expectancy. Eating breakfast earlier, between 7 and 8 a.m., and having the last meal between 7 and 8 p.m., was associated with lower risks of death, especially from heart disease.Key Facts
- Researchers studied 31,044 adults aged 40 and older from 1999 to 2018, following them for about 8.6 years.
- Eating the first meal after noon increased the risk of death from any cause by 29% and heart disease deaths by 43%, compared to eating between 7 and 8 a.m.
- Eating breakfast between 10 a.m. and noon was linked to a 19% higher risk of death overall and a 59% higher risk of stroke-related death.
- The lowest risk of death was for people whose last meal was between 7 and 8 p.m.
- Eating the last meal before 7 p.m. raised death risk by 13%, while eating after midnight raised death risk by 27% overall and 51% for heart disease.
- For people over 50, eating breakfast after 8 a.m. was linked to fewer years of life expectancy, and eating after noon was linked to about 2.5 years lost.
- Similarly, finishing the last meal before 7 p.m. or after midnight was associated with fewer years of life expectancy.
- The study was observational, meaning it found links but did not prove that meal timing causes changes in health or lifespan.
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