Meal Timing and Frequency: Implications for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Eating patterns are increasingly varied. Typical breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals are difficult to distinguish because skipping meals and snacking have become more prevalent. Such eating styles can have various effects on cardiometabolic health markers, namely obesity, lipid profile, insulin resis...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Circulation (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2017-02, Vol.135 (9), p.e96-e121
Main Authors: St-Onge, Marie-Pierre, Ard, Jamy, Baskin, Monica L, Chiuve, Stephanie E, Johnson, Heather M, Kris-Etherton, Penny, Varady, Krista
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American Heart Association
Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology
Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control
Databases, Factual
Humans
Meals - physiology
Obesity - epidemiology
Obesity - prevention & control
Risk Factors
United States
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Eating patterns are increasingly varied. Typical breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals are difficult to distinguish because skipping meals and snacking have become more prevalent. Such eating styles can have various effects on cardiometabolic health markers, namely obesity, lipid profile, insulin resistance, and blood pressure. In this statement, we review the cardiometabolic health effects of specific eating patternsskipping breakfast, intermittent fasting, meal frequency (number of daily eating occasions), and timing of eating occasions. Furthermore, we propose definitions for meals, snacks, and eating occasions for use in research. Finally, data suggest that irregular eating patterns appear less favorable for achieving a healthy cardiometabolic profile. Intentional eating with mindful attention to the timing and frequency of eating occasions could lead to healthier lifestyle and cardiometabolic risk factor management.
ISSN:0009-7322
1524-4539
DOI:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000476