It’s quite simple to let your diet go in today’s fast-paced world. New research reveals there may be major consequences to skipping one of the recommended three meals each day. According to data from a study of 24,011 Americans over the age of 40, eating just once day was associated with an increased risk of death. There was an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in those who skipped breakfast, and an increased risk of death from all causes in those who skipped lunch or supper.
There was an issue even for individuals who had all three meals, but did so at too close of intervals. It was also shown that eating two meals in a row within 4.5 hours of each other doubled the probability of dying from any cause. Despite the study’s seeming complexity of signals suggesting intermittent fasting may be beneficial, the research underscores the significance of frequent refueling breaks for the body.
About a third of the people in the research ate less than three times a day on a consistent basis. Data showed that those who had the following characteristics were more likely to miss meals: being younger, male, non-Hispanic Black, having less education, and coming from a lower-income household. Individuals who smoked more, drank more alcohol, had more food insecurity, consumed less nutritious food, had more snacks, and consumed less calories overall were also more likely to miss meals.
Meal skipping may be associated with an increased risk of mortality, however the current study does not provide enough data to draw that conclusion. There may be unmeasured external variables at play that influence both diet and mortality. However, the researchers did control for differences in a wide range of dietary and lifestyle characteristics, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, levels of physical activity caloric intake, dietary habits, and food poverty, and they still saw a correlation.
According to the most up-to-date surveys, over 60% of American males and 63% of American females eat three balanced meals every day. It’s concerning that so many people are risking their health by skipping meals.
Tiesha loves to share her passion for everything that’s beautiful in this world. Apart from writing on her beauty blog and running her own beauty channel on Youtube, she also enjoys traveling and photography. Tiesha covers various stories on the website.