Later mealtimes, particular breakfast, is linked to both health issues and increased risking of dying among older adults, a new study has highlighted.
Researchers set out to explore how meal timings are significant for older people and whether they might indicate, or even play a part in, the health of individuals as they age.
A team from Mass General Brigham in the U.S. examined changes to mealtimes in older people, finding that there are gradual shifts in mealtimes as people age.
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Importantly, they discovered characteristics that could play a role in the changes to mealtimes and specific trajectories associated with earlier death.
Looking at data from almost 3,000 adults in the UK aged between 42 and 94 and spanning 20 years, the team found that breakfast and dinner times got later as older adults age. The day’s eating window also became shorter.
Another key finding was that eating breakfast later was linked to physical and mental health issues including depression, fatigue and oral health, along with worse sleep and problems preparing meals.
Crucially, eating breakfast later was also linked to an elevated risk of death.
Lead author Hassan Dashti said: “Our research suggests that changes in when older adults eat, especially the timing of breakfast, could serve as an easy-to-monitor marker of their overall health status. Patients and clinicians can possibly use shifts in mealtime routines as an early warning sign to look into underlying physical and mental health issues.
“Also, encouraging older adults in having consistent meal schedules could become part of broader strategies to promoting healthy aging and longevity.
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“Up until now, we had a limited insight into how the timing of meals evolves later in life and how this shift relates to overall health and longevity.
“Our findings help fill that gap by showing that later meal timing, especially delayed breakfast, is tied to both health challenges and increased mortality risk in older adults.
“These results add new meaning to the saying that ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day,’ especially for older individuals.”
Read more in Communications Medicine
