People who eat just one or two meals a day tend to gain less weight each year than those who eat three meals a day, even if they’re eating the same amount of food.

Scientific Claim

In a cohort of 50,660 North American adults aged 30 and older, consuming one or two meals per day is associated with a small annual reduction in body mass index (BMI) of approximately -0.035 kg/m²/year compared to those consuming three meals per day, suggesting that reduced meal frequency may be linked to slower weight gain over time.

Original Statement

“Subjects who ate 1 or 2 meals/d had a reduction in BMI per year (in kg · m-2 · y-1) (-0.035; 95% CI: -0.065, -0.004 and -0.029; 95% CI: -0.041, -0.017, respectively) compared with those who ate 3 meals/d.”

From study:Meal Frequency and Timing Are Associated with Changes in Body Mass Index in Adventist Health Study 2.

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

overstated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The study is observational and cannot prove causation. The original text uses causal language ('had a reduction'), but only an association can be inferred. The effect size is small but consistent across adjusted models.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Meal Frequency and Timing Are Associated with Changes in Body Mass Index in Adventist Health Study 2.

Cohort Study

Human

2017 Sep

People who ate just one or two meals a day lost a tiny bit of weight each year compared to those who ate three meals, suggesting eating less often might help prevent weight gain.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Meal Frequency and Timing Are Associated with Changes in Body Mass Index in Adventist Health Study 2.

Score: 67

DOI: 10.3945/jn.116.244749

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