Browse evidence-based analysis of health-related claims and assertions
Sometimes skipping meals might help animals live longer and stay healthier by triggering a mild stress response in their cells.
Descriptive
We don’t know yet if skipping meals sometimes helps human brains work better — we need more studies to find out.
In mice and rats, eating only at certain times of day (like skipping meals sometimes) seems to boost a brain protein that helps with memory and thinking.
As people get older, their brain makes less of a helpful protein called BDNF, which can make it harder to remember things and learn new stuff, and may raise the chance of dementia.
People who eat more often during the day tend to drink less alcohol relative to their total food intake.
Correlational
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.
People who eat fewer meals are more likely to under-report how much they eat, which could make it harder to study their true eating habits accurately.
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 snack and eat more often tend to eat more fruits, veggies, and whole grains, which are rich in fiber and vitamins.
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.
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.
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 per day are more likely to smoke, drink more alcohol, and be less physically active than men who eat more often.
Men who eat more often during the day tend to consume more fiber and less fat in their diet, which are signs of healthier eating habits.
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.
After four days of eating only until 2 p.m., people lost a tiny bit of weight—about half a pound—mostly from water and stored carbs, not fat.
Causal
Even though people might not remember exactly when they ate, the general patterns of when and how often they eat still line up with whether they gain or lose weight over time.
Eating earlier doesn’t make people move more or less during the day—activity levels stay the same.
Whether you’re male or female, young or old, or active or not, eating meals at certain times still seems to affect your weight the same way — the pattern holds up for most people.
When people eat earlier, their bodies burn slightly more calories digesting food after lunch and dinner, but their resting calorie burn stays the same.
Each year, these eating habits only change your weight by a tiny bit — but over 20 or 30 years, that adds up to a big difference in whether you stay lean or gain a lot of weight.
Quantitative
Eating early in the day lowers two key hormones (leptin and GLP-1) in the morning, which may reflect the body’s natural rhythm adjusting to food timing.
The healthiest pattern for avoiding weight gain seems to be eating just two meals — breakfast and lunch — with a few hours between them, and then not eating again until the next morning.
Eating early makes your body release more of the fullness hormone in the evening, helping you feel satisfied after dinner.