Gaby
In the hustle and bustle of modern life, it’s all too easy to skip breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Sometimes it even feels necessary. A new study by researchers at the University of Iowa and the University of Tennessee found that missing just one of the three standard meals can have serious long-term health consequences.
The research team analyzed data on the eating habits of 24,011 American adults aged 40 and older. This information was collected over 15 years (1999–2014) as part of a large-scale health assessment.
The study found that skipping breakfast was linked to a higher risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease. Skipping lunch or dinner was tied to an increased risk of death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease.
The researchers say this risk can also apply to people who do eat three times a day but eat at very short intervals. They also identified a potential life-threatening risk for people who eat only two meals a day with just a four-and-a-half-hour gap between them.
Who skips meals?
In their paper, the researchers stressed the importance of regular breaks to refuel the body, as reported by Science Alert.
According to epidemiologist Yanbo San from the University of Tennessee, people who eat only once a day are more likely to die sooner than those who eat more frequently.
The team created a generalized profile of people who ate fewer than three times a day; they made up about 30 percent of the cohort. So who is most likely to skip meals? Mostly men in their early 40s without a college degree, from low-income households. They typically smoke, drink alcohol, have limited access to nutritious food, and often rely on snacks. Their bodies get far less energy than they need to function.
Epidemiologist Wei Bao from the University of Iowa said the observations “make metabolic sense.” Skipping meals often leads to eating larger amounts at once, which can disrupt glucose regulation and impair metabolism.
Recent statistics show that about 59 percent of men and approximately 63 percent of women in the U.S. don’t consistently eat three meals a day. This large share of the population may be putting themselves at risk by skipping one or more meals.
There are many reasons people fall into irregular eating patterns: working long hours, lack of time, financial constraints, and interest in diets and fasting. Despite those factors, the research team strongly urges people to take the study’s conclusions about the importance of regular meals seriously.
The results of this study were published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
