The causes of obesity are complex and not fully understood. A number of factors have been investigated and there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that dissociation from normal eating patterns and food intake are a significant contributor to obesity. In particular, it is known that consumption of certain types of foods, particularly high sugar, high fat and high salt foods can lead to the development of metabolic disease which in turn leads to overeating and weight gain. Meal frequency and regularity has also been investigated with regard to obesity, and some evidence suggests that consuming food more often, in smaller amounts at regular intervals, with the emphasis on a larger breakfast, can play an important role in the control of body weight. Irregular eating may be a cause of obesity, or may be a symptom of it, the association is not quite clear. Eating irregularly can be a result of stress and stress is also associated with weight gain and obesity, so researchers are interested in this area of nutrition.
Eating regular smaller meals is associated with weight loss. This may relate to the ability of smaller meals to provide a more stable blood glucose levels, which in turn improves insulin resistance. Eating a large proportion of daily energy needs early in the day is also another strategy that may yield health benefits. Those that eat breakfast have lower appetites during the morning and subsequently eat less at lunchtime. Overall, despite consuming a number of calories at breakfast, those who do consume breakfast consume less calories over the course of the day than those who go without breakfast.
One study investigated the effects of irregular meal consumption in normal weight women aged 18 to 40 years. The women consumed either 6 meals per day in a regular ordered pattern, or 3 to 9 meals per day in an irregular pattern. Before and after each period of consuming one of the diets a number of metabolic parameters were measured. Consumption of regular meals was associated with an increased thermic effect of food (TEF) and a lower blood glucose response. There was no difference between the treatments in terms of the gut hormones measured (glucagon-like peptide-1, peptide YY and ghrelin) in response to a test drink, but fasting levels of glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY, decreased more in the irregular meal pattern. However it is unclear what long term effects this may have had. There was also no difference in subjective hunger ratings experienced by the women between the two treatments. Therefore regular meal patterns increase energy expenditure and lowered blood glucose compared to an irregular pattern.
Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself
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