Regular morning meals linked to lower obesity risk
Headline: Earlier Meal Times May Help Counteract Genetic Risk of Obesity, According to New Study
Researchers have found that the timing of meals plays a significant role in weight management, particularly for individuals with a high genetic predisposition to obesity. The study, which analyzed data from nearly 900,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms, reveals that earlier eating can help reduce the expression of this genetic risk, leading to better weight maintenance.
The findings suggest that delaying meal timing by each hour is associated with increased Body Mass Index (BMI) and greater weight gain over the years, especially pronounced in those at high genetic risk. Specifically, each hour delay in the midpoint of meal intake correlates with about a 1 kg/m² higher baseline BMI, slower weight loss during interventions, and approximately 3% greater weight regain over 12 years.
Among individuals with the highest polygenic risk scores (PGS) for obesity, late eating led to about a 3 kg/m² higher BMI compared to early eaters in the same genetic risk group. On the contrary, early eating appears to mitigate the phenotypic expression of obesity risk genes, making BMI differences across genetic risk tertiles non-significant among early eaters.
Meal timing acts as a critical cue synchronizing the body's internal clock, especially metabolic functions that follow circadian patterns. Altering meal timing can shift circadian rhythms, influencing metabolism and energy expenditure. Disruptions such as late eating can desynchronize metabolic processes, promoting adverse cardiometabolic outcomes including obesity.
Genetic variants linked to circadian "clock" genes have been associated with differences in eating behavior and energy intake, suggesting a genetic-circadian interaction affecting obesity risk.
In summary, earlier meal times can significantly reduce the genetic obesity risk expression, improve weight maintenance, and potentially counteract genetic predisposition to obesity. This approach opens up possibilities for personalized recommendations, tailoring meal schedules to an individual's genetic profile.
The study involved adults with excess weight or obesity who were undergoing treatment in a program that included behavioral therapy and long-term health monitoring. The researchers suggest that considering meal timing in obesity prevention programs could be beneficial, especially for groups with increased susceptibility to excess weight. Misalignment between meal times and natural light cycles can disrupt metabolism and contribute to obesity.
The findings highlight the potential for personalized meal schedules in obesity prevention strategies, as they could enhance the effectiveness of existing programs. However, more research is needed to fully understand the complex interplay between meal timing, circadian rhythms, and genetic predisposition to obesity.
References:
[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03594-0 [2] https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(21)00476-1 [3] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03620-7 [5] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2481-1
- Science reveals that earlier meal times could mitigate the phenotypic expression of obesity risk genes, potentially counteracting genetic predisposition to obesity, as noted in a new study on health-and-wellness.
- Adhering to earlier meal times can help reduce the genetic obesity risk expression, leading to better weight maintenance, and may be beneficial in personalized meal schedules for weight-management, particularly for individuals with chronic-diseases or medical-conditions associated with obesity.
- The study suggests that altering meal timing can have an impact on nutrition, as it influences metabolism, energy expenditure, and cardiometabolic outcomes, making it a crucial factor in health-and-wellness and obesity prevention strategies.
