The Association of Meal Timing With Body Composition & Cardiometabolic Health in Obese Older Adults
Abstract Objectives To determine the association between eating window and time of last calorie intake with body composition and cardiometabolic health in obese older adults. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis on 36 community-dwelling, overweight-to-obese (BMI 28.0–39.9 kg/m2) older adults (aged 70.6 ± 6.1 years, 83% women, 86% white), recruited to participate in a weight loss and exercise trial. Time of food and nutrient intake were extracted from three 24-hour food recalls. Eating window was calculated as the time elapsed between the first and last food intake. We recorded the time of last calorie intake either from food or drink. Blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density (HDL) & low-density (LDL) lipoprotein cholesterols were measured as markers of cardiometabolic health. Body composition metrics, including total fat and lean mass, were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Body weight and height were measured to calculate BMI. Partial correlation was used to determine the relationships between eating window and last calorie intake with body composition and cardiometabolic markers, while controlling for sex, age, and total calorie intake. Results On average, participants’ eating window was 12.0 ± 1.1 hours. Eating window in 43% of participants was <12 hours, while it was ≥13 hours in 29% of the participants. Time of last calorie intake in the majority of participants (86%) was between 6:00–8:00 PM. After controlling for potential confounders, longer eating windows were associated with higher triglyceride levels (P = 0.032) and lower HDL (P = 0.035), while no association was observed with the other cardiometabolic markers. We also observed negative trends, though not statistically significant, between longer eating windows and greater weight, BMI, and fat mass. No association was observed between time of last calorie intake, body composition and cardiometabolicy markers. Conclusions Our results suggest that timing of food intake may influence cardiometabolic risk and obesity in older adults. However, further research is required to determine the importance of meal timing on obesity in older adults. Funding Sources Center for Disease Control (U48 DP000025) and NIA T32-AG0001810.