Eat earlier or die sooner; scientists reveal how breakfast timing could shorten your life

As we age, our daily routines often shift, bedtimes get earlier, and meals become more irregular. But a new study suggests that one small change in your schedule could have a big impact on your health and longevity, the timing of your breakfast.

Researchers at Mass General Brigham and their collaborators have found that older adults who delay breakfast may face higher risks of serious health problems, including depression, fatigue, poor sleep, and even early death. Their findings, published in Communications Medicine, suggest that when you eat, especially your first meal of the day, it could be a simple but powerful signal of your overall health.

A 20-year study

The research team analyzed data from 2,945 adults in the UK, aged 42 to 94, who were followed for more than 20 years. They found that as people age, they tend to eat breakfast and dinner later in the day, while also narrowing the overall time window in which they eat each day. Notably, later breakfast timing was associated with an increased risk of death during follow-up.

Lead author Dr. Hassan Dashti, a nutrition scientist and circadian biologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains that changes in when older adults eat, especially the timing of breakfast, could serve as an easy-to-monitor marker of their overall health status. He suggests that patients and clinicians can possibly use shifts in mealtime routines as an early warning sign to look into underlying physical and mental health issues. Encouraging older adults to have consistent meal schedules could become part of broader strategies to promote healthy aging and longevity.

The study also found that later breakfast timing was consistently associated with having physical and mental health conditions such as depression, fatigue, and oral health problems. Difficulty with meal preparation and worse sleep were also linked with later mealtimes.

According to the Sciencedaily website, Dr. Dashti notes that these results add new meaning to the saying that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day," especially for older individuals. He emphasizes that as time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting gain popularity, the health impacts of shifting meal schedules may differ significantly in aging populations from those in younger adults.

What you can do

If you're over 50, consider setting a regular time for breakfast each day. Aim to eat within a few hours of waking up and avoid skipping meals. Keeping a consistent eating schedule may help maintain your health and potentially add years to your life.