Relationship between omitting breakfast and late eating with obesity and metabolic disorders: a review focusing on chrononutrition

Abstract

Current literature has accumulated evidence on the effect of circadian cycle dysregulation on metabolic disorders and obesity. Several factors can cause chronodisruption; however, increasing attention has been given to the temporal pattern of meals. Objective: To review the evidence on the relationship between skipping breakfast and late eating and obesity and metabolic disorders. Methods: This narrative review whose searches were conducted in August 2022 in the electronic databases of the National Library of Medicine (PubMed) and the Virtual Health Library (VHL). Inclusion criteria were: (1) original articles; (2) published in English and/or Portuguese; (3) keywords in the title, abstract, or subject; and (4) published in the last 20 years (2002-2022). The exclusion criteria were: (1) review articles; (2) not available in full; (3) off-topic; and (4) studies with children and/or adolescents. Results: Thirteen articles met the inclusion criteria. In both cohort and cross-sectional studies, as well as in randomized clinical trials, an unfavorable association was observed between skipping breakfast and late eating and metabolic disturbances and obesity. Conclusion: Evidence to date shows that mealtime has a significant influence on energy metabolism and metabolic disorders. The application of chrononutritional knowledge can be an important tool for the prevention and control of metabolic diseases associated with overweight and obesity.