Recent study Irregular eating is bad for your health

It is not only important how much we eat, it also depends on the regularity
There has been talk for some time about whether people live unhealthily when they eat irregularly, take meals in a hurry, or eat late at night. Researchers found that the health status of those affected is actually worse compared to people who regularly eat at normal times of the day.

Are you one of those people who eat irregularly and often miss a meal? Scientists from Kings College London and the University of São Paulo found in an investigation that such a behavior harms the health of our body. Similarly, people who are always rushed and take their meals in a hurry or often come late for dinner. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "British Journal of Nutrition".

It is not only important not to overeat, but also to eat your meals regularly. For this reason, having a well-regulated family meal is important in order to pass on healthy eating habits to our children. (Image: pressmaster / fotolia.com)

Researchers call for more large-scale studies
The results of analyzing the effects of our eating habits should lead to the nutritional guidelines being reconsidered and adapted. The scientists from Kings College London and the University of São Paulo said there is an urgent need for further large-scale studies that will further analyze the effects of irregular meals. In addition, the special effects on diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity must be examined, the experts add.

Guidelines which meals should contain the most energy are urgently needed
Perhaps the old adage is known to you: you should have breakfast like an emperor, lunch like a king, and dinner like a beggar. There seems to be some truth in this statement, explains co-author Dr. Gerda pot. Of course, we now have a much better understanding of what we should eat to keep us healthy. However, there are no clear guidelines on which meal should provide the most energy, or whether we need to take our food at regular times. Pot added.

Many calories in the evening can lead to obesity
Surely you've heard lately that dinner does not make you fat in the evening. However, there is some evidence that consuming more calories in the evening is associated with the onset of obesity, but we are still far from understanding whether our energy intake should be evenly distributed throughout the day or, for example, whether our breakfast is the largest Part of the energy, Dr. Pot. Many people gradually increase their energy intake during the day. At the same time breakfast has the least share and not infrequently our dinner has the largest share of energy, experts say.

Family meals are important to us and our children
The results show that regular meals are important to avoid health problems. We should try to pass on such healthy eating habits to children and adolescents, explain the scientists. Thus, shared meals of the family, at regular times are very beneficial for the health of our children.

Food intake affects the internal clock
Many metabolic processes in the body follow a so-called circadian pattern, including appetite, digestion and the breakdown of fat, cholesterol and glucose, the authors explain. This does not mean that food intake can affect our internal clock, especially organs like our liver and gut. Our internal clock is also regulated by the day / night cycle, which in turn can affect our eating habits. Even irregular food intake can certainly affect this internal clock, the researchers warn.

Eating irregularly increases the risk of the metabolic syndrome
The investigation has also shown that shift workers with changing shifts naturally also undergo changes in eating habits. This can increase the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, explain the doctors. In addition, the risk for the so-called metabolic syndrome increases, say the researchers from Kings College. In addition to smoking, this is regarded as the decisive risk factor for diseases of arterial vessels, in particular coronary heart disease.

It does not matter how many times we eat, how many calories we eat is important
In their study, the scientists additionally investigated whether a larger number of daily meals leads to an increased risk of obesity. The number of meals is not really crucial if we eat fewer meals but the calorie intake stays the same, even fewer meals will bring no health benefits, say the experts from Kings College London and the University of São Paulo. (As)