The effect of meal frequency on biochemical cardiometabolic factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abdollahi, Shima; Kazemi, Asma; Souza, Russell J. de; Clark, Cain C. T.; Soltani, Sepideh

doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2020.12.038

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…There was inconclusive evidence on the effect of night-time eating on lipid profiles as the current systematic review had a small sample size of less than 100. Current evidence showed significant association between higher meal frequency and the favourable reduction in LDL and TC with low or moderate certainty when the total energy intake remained constant between the intervention and control groups (Abdollahi et al, 2021). The mechanism of how meal frequency affects lipid metabolism is not fully understood, but it was postulated to be related to insulin levels (Jones et al, 1993).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of meal timing and frequency on lipid profile in adults: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Yong,

Koo,

et al. 2024

NFS

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Purpose Dyslipidaemia is an established risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Calorie restriction and adopting a heart-healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet are the main dietary interventions for dyslipidaemia. Other dietary behaviours, such as changes in meal frequency and timing, are not included in the major dietary advice guidelines despite the potential correlation between eating patterns and lipid metabolism. This overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses aims to summarise the effect of meal timing and frequency on lipid profile and make possible recommendations on which meal timing pattern is superior in reducing lipid levels. Design/methodology/approach According to the protocol published on PROSPERO (CRD42021248956), five databases were searched for systematic reviews and meta-analyses investigating the effects of meal timing and frequency on lipid profile in adults. Findings Five reviews were included, with two reviews on breakfast skipping and meal frequency, respectively, and one review on night-time eating. Increasing meal frequency while maintaining the total calorie intake was reported to reduce total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels with low- to moderate-quality evidence. There was a correlation between breakfast skipping and an undesirable increase in LDL levels with low-quality evidence. However, there needs to be more high-quality evidence to conclude the effect of dietary behaviours on blood lipid levels. Originality/value This overview provides a comprehensive summary of evidence examining the effects of meal timing and frequency on adult lipid profiles. The current low- or moderate-quality evidence could not support the recommendation of alteration of meal frequency as an alternative to conventional non-pharmacological treatments for dyslipidaemia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The duration of the included RCTs was also two weeks minimum. The population might differ from Abdollahi et al (2021)…”

Section: Meal Frequencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of meal timing and frequency on lipid profile in adults: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Yong,

Koo,

et al. 2024

NFS

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“…In addition, higher eating frequency may also improve blood lipid concentrations. A recent meta-analysis of 21 RCTs suggested that higher meal frequency may help improve total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (26) , though blood glucose was not affected. In a subgroup analysis of trials > 12 weeks, higher meal frequency may also reduce serum triglyceride and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meal frequency and incidence of type 2 diabetes: a prospective study

Wang

Qin

et al. 2021

Br J Nutr

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Dietary habits play an important role in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, evidence on association between diet frequency and type 2 diabetes was limited and inconclusive. We aimed to examine the association between meal frequency and risk of type 2 diabetes. The cohort study used data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study of 8874 community-dwelling people aged over 45 years. Participants were classified as eating 2 meals/d, 3 meals/d and 4 meals/d. Multiple Poisson regression models were used to examine risk of 4-year incident type 2 diabetes among people who ate more or less than 3 meals/d compared with people who ate 3 meals/d. We documented 706 type 2 diabetes cases during follow-up. After adjustment for known risk factors for type 2 diabetes, except for body mass index (BMI), participants who ate 4 meals/d were at a lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those who ate 3 meals/d (RR = 0.73 [0.58, 0.92]). After further adjustment for baseline BMI, the association was slightly attenuated but remained statistically significant (RR = 0.76 [0.60, 0.97]). Subgroup analysis showed that the fully-adjusted RRs of type 2 diabetes for people eating 4 meals/day were 0.66 (0.48, 0.91) and 0.93 (0.65, 1.34) among those had a BMI < 25 and ≥ 25 kg/m2, respectively. Eating 4 meals/day, compared with eating 3 meals/day, was associated with lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes in a Chinese population, particularly in those with a BMI < 25 kg/m2.

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“…However, several studies found no change or even higher glucose levels and less glucose tolerance after reducing meal frequency as compared to 6 meals per day, with equal total caloric intake [ 88 ], [ 89 ], [ 90 ], [ 91 ] ( Table 1 ). A meta-analysis found that higher meal frequency may lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels without affecting glycemic control [ 92 ]. The controversy about the effects of altering meal frequency may be attributable to the fact that ‘less meal frequency’ is a mixed entity and involves many variables that need to be carefully controlled during studies.…”

Section: Meal Frequency and Regularitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Circadian clock and temporal meal pattern

Sun

2022

Medical Review

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The central circadian clock in the brain controls the time-of-the-day variations in acute meal responses, with a low glycemic response but a high satiety/thermogenic response to meals consumed at waking compared to other time points. Consistently, studies show that consuming a significant proportion of calories, particularly carbohydrates, in breakfast is beneficial for the chronic management of obesity and its associated metabolic syndrome, compared to consuming identical meals at dinner. Conversely, breakfast skipping or/and late dinner can have unfavorable metabolic outcomes. It remains controversial how meal frequency affects metabolic health. In contrast, irregular meals, especially irregular breakfasts, show consistent adverse metabolic consequences. Time-restricted feeding (TRF), with all calories consumed within less than 12-h per day, can improve metabolism and extend lifespan. A major component of TRF in humans is caloric restriction, which contributes significantly to the beneficial effects of TRF in humans. By comparison, TRF effects in rodents can be independent of caloric restriction and show day/night phase specificity. TRF could alleviate metabolic abnormalities due to circadian disruption, but its effects appear independent of the circadian clock in rodents. Understanding neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying clock-mediated metabolic regulation will shed light on the metabolic effects of temporal meal patterns.

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The effect of meal frequency on biochemical cardiometabolic factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Cited by 10 publications

References 70 publications

Effect of meal timing and frequency on lipid profile in adults: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Effect of meal timing and frequency on lipid profile in adults: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Meal frequency and incidence of type 2 diabetes: a prospective study

Circadian clock and temporal meal pattern

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