Evening types as determined by subjective and objective measures are more emotional eaters

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the association between being an evening type (ET; defined subjectively by the Morning‐Evening Questionnaire or objectively by the dim‐light melatonin onset [DLMO] timing) and reporting emotional eating (EE) behaviors.MethodsCross‐sectional analyses were conducted in 3964 participants (four international cohorts: ONTIME and ONTIME‐MT [both Spain], SHIFT [the US], and DICACEM [Mexico]), in which chronotype (Morning‐Evening Questionnaire), EE behaviors (Emotional Eating Questionnaire), and dietary habits (dietary records or food‐frequency questionnaire) were assessed. Among 162 participants (ONTIME‐MT subsample), additional measures of DLMO (physiological gold standard of circadian phase) were available.ResultsIn three populations, ETs presented with a higher EE score than morning types (p < 0.02); and they made up a higher proportion of emotional eaters (p < 0.01). ETs presented with higher scores on disinhibition/overeating as well as food craving factors and experienced these behaviors more frequently than morning types (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a meta‐analysis showed that being an ET was associated with a higher EE score by 1.52 points of a total of 30 points (95% CI: 0.89–2.14). The timing of DLMO in the early, intermediate, and late objective chronotypes occurred at 21:02 h, 22:12 h, and 23:37 h, with late types showing a higher EE score (p = 0.043).ConclusionsEveningness associated with EE in populations with different cultural, environmental, and genetic backgrounds. Individuals with late DLMO also showed more EE.