For women in this study, how often they ate didn’t seem to affect whether they were obese or had a large waist, unlike in men.

Men who eat fewer meals are more than twice as likely to have a very large waistline, even if they eat the same number of calories as men who eat more often.

Even when men ate the same number of total calories, those who ate fewer meals were still more likely to be obese, meaning it’s not just about how much they eat, but when and how often.

Men who eat only three meals or fewer a day are more than twice as likely to be obese compared to men who snack and eat more often, even when they eat the same total amount of food.

Even when researchers accounted for people eating lots of sweets and junk food, those who ate fewer meals still had higher obesity rates, meaning the problem isn’t just about what they snack on.

People who eat more often during the day tend to get more of their calories from carbs and less from alcohol, which is generally considered healthier.