Impacts of skipping breakfast and late dinner on the incidence of being overweight: a 3-year retrospective cohort study of men aged 20-49years.

Abstract

Most studies on the dietary habits and overweight status of men aged 20-49years have been cross-sectional, with longitudinal studies being scarce. One-quarter of Japanese men aged 20-49years skip breakfast or have dinner within 2h of bedtime (late dinner); therefore, the effects of these eating habits on men's increasing body weight need to be determined. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using health check-up data provided from several health insurance societies in Japan. Participants comprised 45524 men employees aged 20-49years who were followed up for 3years. The primary outcome investigated was body mass index (BMI)≥25kg m-2 . We conducted a multivariable logistic regression analysis and calculated the odds ratios for skipping breakfast and late dinner, as well as baseline age, body mass index, smoking status, eating speed, snack-eating status, alcohol drinking frequency, physical activity, sleep habits, and the interaction between skipping breakfast and late dinner. Of the participants, 17706 (38.8%) skipped breakfast and 25987 (57.1%) had a late dinner. At the 3-year follow-up, 5093 (11.2%) had a BMI≥25kg m-2 . The odds ratios of men skipping breakfast and having a late dinner were 1.18 (95% confidence interval=1.04-1.33) and 0.92 (95% confidence interval=0.84-1.01), respectively. The interaction between these factors was nonsignificant. We suggest that skipping breakfast among men aged 20-49years was one predictor of being overweight; however, having dinner within 2h of bedtime was not a predictor.