The Power of Chrono-Nutrition in Healthy Aging
As we grow older, it’s not just what we eat that matters—it’s also when we eat. A new long-term study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham has found that shifts in meal timing, especially breakfast, may hold important clues about health and longevity in later life.
What the Study Found
The research, published in Communications Medicine, followed nearly 3,000 adults in the UK aged 42–94 over two decades. The findings showed:
- As people age, they tend to eat breakfast and dinner later.
- Their daily eating window (the time between the first and last meal) also narrows.
- Later breakfasts were strongly linked with health problems like depression, fatigue, poor sleep, oral health issues, and difficulty preparing meals.
- People who ate breakfast later were at a higher risk of early death.
Interestingly, people with a genetic tendency to be “night owls” also tended to eat meals later.
Why This Matters
Lead author Dr. Hassan Dashti, a nutrition scientist and circadian biologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, explained that changes in meal timing could be a simple, early warning sign of underlying health problems. “Encouraging older adults to maintain consistent meal schedules could become part of broader strategies for promoting healthy aging and longevity,” he said.
The study highlights how meal timing could play a bigger role in health than we thought, especially with the rising popularity of intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating. For older adults, shifting meals too late in the day might have very different health effects compared to younger people.
Takeaway
The old saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” may be more true than ever for seniors. Keeping breakfast earlier and sticking to regular meal times could support both better health and a longer life.
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