Abstract
ContextChildhood adiposity, an important predictor of adult chronic disease, has been rising dramatically. Later eating rhythm, termed night eating, is increasing in adults but rarely studied in younger ages.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to review the association between later eating rhythm and adiposity in children and adolescents. The aspects of later eating being considered included: energy intake (for evening main meal, evening snack, whole evening period, and around bedtime); timing (any food eaten at later timing); and meal frequency in the evening/night (evening main meal skipping, evening snack consumption).Data SourcesFive databases (the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE (via OVID), and Web of Science) were searched for eligible articles published prior to and including August 2020.Data ExtractionData extraction and quality assessment were conducted by 2 reviewers independently.Data AnalysisForty-seven studies were included, all of which were observational. Meta-analysis showed positive associations between both higher energy intake around bedtime (odds ratio [OR] 1.19, 95% CI 1.06, 1.33) and evening main meal skipping (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.14, 1.48), and adiposity. There was evidence to suggest that consuming evening snacks reduced adiposity, but it was very weak (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.62, 1.05). No association was seen between eating later and adiposity (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.68, 1.61). In the narrative analysis, approximately half of the studies suggested that there was no association between later eating rhythm and adiposity, either as a whole or within exposure subsets.ConclusionThe magnitude of the relationship between later eating rhythm and adiposity is very small, and may vary depending on which aspects of later eating rhythm are under consideration; however, the evidence for this conclusion is of very low certainty . Further research with a more consistent definition of “later timing”, and longitudinal studies in different populations, may lead to different conclusions.Systematic Review RegistrationPROSPERO registration no. CRD42019134187.
Highlights
Rates of childhood adiposity have increased dramatically in the last few decades,[1,2] and it has been shown to be an important predictor of adulthood chronic diseases.[3,4,5,6,7] childhood adiposity is associated with enormous financial burden for national healthcare systems.[8]
This review considered all studies in which the intervention/exposure was later meal or snack time in the evening or at nighttime; diet in which a greater proportion of total daily energy intake (TDEI) or absolute higher energy intake (EI) was consumed in the evening/night; relatively more meal/ snack/drink occasions occurred in the evening
The relationship between consumption of evening snacks and adiposity was uncertain, as no consistent associations were found
Summary
Rates of childhood adiposity have increased dramatically in the last few decades,[1,2] and it has been shown to be an important predictor of adulthood chronic diseases.[3,4,5,6,7] childhood adiposity is associated with enormous financial burden for national healthcare systems.[8]. Eating habits are identified as one of the key modifiable lifestyle behaviors for preventing childhood adiposity.[10] As the continuity and stability of eating behavior traits tend to run throughout childhood and adulthood,[11] developing healthy eating habits early in life could be an efficient method for reducing the likelihood of developing diet-related diseases in adulthood.[12,13,14] Recent studies have linked circadian rhythm, as well as timing-related factors, to adiposity, by demonstrating changes in energy regulation through circadian-driven processes, such as transport of lipids, glucose, and dietary proteins in the intestine.[15,16,17,18,19,20] Time-related factors such as duration of sleep and breakfast skipping have been reported to have an impact on childhood adiposity.[21,22,23,24] These reports emphasize the potentially important role of time at which food is consumed during the day in relation to adiposity development. Energy intake (EI) during the nighttime, relative to that during other time periods, has been highlighted as of particular concern
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