People who eat their biggest meal in the morning tend to gain less weight each year than those who eat their biggest meal at night — and those who eat it at lunch fall somewhere in between.

Scientific Claim

In a cohort of 50,660 North American adults aged 30 and older, consuming the largest meal of the day at breakfast is associated with a greater annual reduction in body mass index (BMI) of -0.038 kg/m²/year compared to consuming the largest meal at dinner, while eating the largest meal at lunch is associated with a smaller but still significant reduction of -0.02 kg/m²/year.

Original Statement

“Relative to subjects who ate their largest meal at dinner, those who consumed breakfast as the largest meal experienced a significant decrease in BMI (-0.038; 95% CI: -0.048, -0.028), and those who consumed a big lunch experienced a smaller but still significant decrease in BMI than did those who ate their largest meal at dinner.”

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 identifies a strong association but cannot prove that eating breakfast as the largest meal causes weight loss. The original text implies causation; only association is supported by observational design.

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

This study found that people who eat their biggest meal in the morning lose a little weight each year, more than those who eat their biggest meal at night — and eating it at lunch is in between.

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

Similar Assertions

The more snacks or meals people eat in a day beyond three, the more weight they tend to gain each year — even if it’s just a little bit each year.

83%

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.

82%

People who eat breakfast every day tend to gain less weight each year than those who skip it — even if they eat the same total calories.

81%

Eating fewer than three meals per day is associated with lower body mass index (BMI) compared to consuming three or more meals per day.

75%

For white people, eating the biggest meal at lunch seems to help prevent weight gain more than it does for Black people — suggesting that the same eating pattern might not work the same way for everyone.

72%