Men who eat fewer meals per day are more likely to smoke, drink more alcohol, and be less physically active than men who eat more often.

Scientific Claim

In middle-aged men, lower daily eating frequency (three or fewer meals) is associated with higher rates of smoking, higher alcohol consumption, and lower levels of leisure-time physical activity, suggesting a clustering of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors.

Original Statement

“A low daily eating frequency was associated with smoking, higher alcohol consumption, and lower leisure-time physical activity.”

From study:A high eating frequency is associated with an overall healthy lifestyle in middle-aged men and women and reduced likelihood of general and central obesity in men

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The claim accurately reflects the observed associations in Table 2 using 'associated with' and does not imply causation, aligning with the cross-sectional design.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

A high eating frequency is associated with an overall healthy lifestyle in middle-aged men and women and reduced likelihood of general and central obesity in men

Cross-Sectional Study

Human

2010 Oct

People who eat fewer meals a day (three or less) were more likely to smoke, drink more alcohol, and exercise less, which means unhealthy habits tend to happen together.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

A high eating frequency is associated with an overall healthy lifestyle in middle-aged men and women and reduced likelihood of general and central obesity in men

Score: 42

DOI: 10.1017/S0007114510001753

Similar Assertions

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.

82%

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.

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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.

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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.

81%

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.

80%