Background: The regularity of eating, together with other nutritional factors, is one of the important determinants of health. According to previous studies, it is not clear if a greater fluctuation in energy intake is associated with higher body fat and weight gain, or if the weight of people is stable despite these fluctuations in the energy intake. The aim of the study was to verify if a higher variability in the energy intake each day of the week is related to the amount of body fat and other anthropometric parameters. Methods: A total of 220 (151 women, 69 men) individuals of Czech Caucasian origin with a BMI of 18.3-58 kg/m2, aged 21.7-79.7 were included in the study. Selected anthropometric characteristics were measured using a bioelectrical impedance analysis. 7-day food records were completed and analyzed using nutritional software. The measured values were statistically evaluated by multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The results of the multiple linear regression showed the statistically significant dependence of the percentage of body fat (p<0.01), BMI (p<0.01), and waist circumference (p<0.05) on the relative variability of the daily energy intake. Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that people with more regular energy intake also have better anthropometric parameters related to their cardiometabolic health.

Department of Public Health Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Kamenice 753 5 625 00 Brno Czech Republic

Independent Researcher

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Pellegrini M, Cioffi I, Evangelista A. et al. Effects of time-restricted feeding on body weight and metabolism. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2020;21:17–33. PubMed

Varady KA, Bhutani S, Klempel MC. et al. Alternate day fasting for weight loss in normal weight and overweight subjects: a randomized controlled trial. Nutr J. 2013;12:146. PubMed PMC

Fudla H, Mudjihartini N, Khusun H. Effect of four weeks of 5:2 intermittent fasting on energy intake and body mass index among obese male students aged 18-25. Obes Med. 2021;25:100353.

Cioffi I, Evangelista A, Ponzo V. et al. Intermittent versus continuous energy restriction on weight loss and cardiometabolic outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Transl Med. 2018;16:371. PubMed PMC

Harris L, Hamilton S, Azevedo LB. et al. Intermittent fasting interventions for treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JBI Evid Synth. 2018;16:507–47. PubMed

Templeman I, Smith HA, Chowdhury E. et al. A randomized controlled trial to isolate the effects of fasting and energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic health in lean adults. Sci Transl Med. 2021;13:eabd8034. PubMed

Vik FN, Overby NC, Lien N, Bere E. Number of meals eaten in relation to weight status among Norwegian adolescents. Scand J Public Health. 2010;38:13–8. PubMed

Purslow LR, Sandhu MS, Forouhi N. et al. Energy Intake at Breakfast and Weight Change: Prospective Study of 6,764 Middle-aged Men and Women. Am J Epidemiol. 2008;167:188–92. PubMed

Hajek P, Myers K, Dhanji A-R, West O, McRobbie H. Weight change during and after Ramadan fasting. J Public Health. 2012;34:377–81. PubMed

Bonnet JP, Cardel MI, Cellini J, Hu FB, Guasch-Ferré M. Breakfast Skipping, Body Composition, and Cardiometabolic Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials. Obes Silver Spring Md. 2020;28:1098–109. PubMed PMC

Chen H, Zhang B, Ge Y. et al. Association between skipping breakfast and risk of cardiovascular disease and all cause mortality: A meta-analysis. Clin Nutr Edinb Scotl. 2020;39:2982–8. PubMed

Kahleova H, Belinova L, Malinska H. et al. Eating two larger meals a day (breakfast and lunch) is more effective than six smaller meals in a reduced-energy regimen for patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomised crossover study. Diabetologia. 2014;57:1552–60. PubMed PMC

Forejt M, Derflerová Brázdová Z, Novák J. et al. Higher Energy Intake Variability as Predisposition to Obesity: Novel Approach Using Interquartile Range. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2017;25:321–5. PubMed

Haines PS, Hama MY, Guilkey DK, Popkin BM. Weekend Eating in the United States Is Linked with Greater Energy, Fat, and Alcohol Intake. Obes Res. 2003;11:945–9. PubMed

Hull HR, Radley D, Dinger MK, Fields DA. The effect of the Thanksgiving Holiday on weight gain. Nutr J. 2006;5:29. PubMed PMC

Orsama A-L, Mattila E, Ermes M, van Gils M, Wansink B, Korhonen I. Weight rhythms: weight increases during weekends and decreases during weekdays. Obes Facts. 2014;7:36–47. PubMed PMC

Tucker L, Peterson T. Variation in energy intake across 7 consecutive days and body fat percentage in 276 middle-age women. Obes Res. 2000;8:86S–86S.

Racette SB, Weiss EP, Schechtman KB. et al. Influence of Weekend Lifestyle Patterns on Body Weight. Obesity. 2008;16:1826–30. PubMed PMC

Bray GA, Flatt J-P, Volaufova J, Delany JP, Champagne CM. Corrective responses in human food intake identified from an analysis of 7-d food-intake records. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;88:1504–10. PubMed PMC

Champagne CM, Han H, Bajpeyi S. et al. Day-to-Day Variation in Food Intake and Energy Expenditure in Healthy Women: The Dietitian II Study. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2013;113:1532–8. PubMed

Lichtman SW, Pisarska K, Berman ER. et al. Discrepancy between Self-Reported and Actual Caloric Intake and Exercise in Obese Subjects. N Engl J Med. 1992;327:1893–8. PubMed

Romero-Corral A, Somers VK, Sierra-Johnson J. et al. Accuracy of body mass index in diagnosing obesity in the adult general population. Int J Obes. 2008;32:959–66. PubMed PMC

Grundy SM, Neeland IJ, Turer AT, Vega GL. Waist Circumference as Measure of Abdominal Fat Compartments. J Obes. 2013;2013:e454285. PubMed PMC

Molenaar EA, Massaro JM, Jacques PF. et al. Association of Lifestyle Factors With Abdominal Subcutaneous and Visceral Adiposity. Diabetes Care. 2009;32:505–10. PubMed PMC

Dobbelsteyn CJ, Joffres MR, MacLean DR, Flowerdew G. A comparative evaluation of waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index as indicators of cardiovascular risk factors. The Canadian Heart Health Surveys. Int J Obes. 2001;25:652–61. PubMed

Ahmad N, Adam SIM, Nawi AM, Hassan MR, Ghazi HF. Abdominal Obesity Indicators: Waist Circumference or Waist-to-hip Ratio in Malaysian Adults Population. Int J Prev Med. 2016;7:82. PubMed PMC

Suchanek P, Kralova Lesna I, Mengerova O, Mrazkova J, Lanska V, Stavek P. Which index best correlates with body fat mass: BAI, BMI, waist or WHR? Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2012;33(Suppl 2):78–82. PubMed

Ye Y-F, Zhang M-X, Lin Z, Tang L. Is Intermittent Fasting Better Than Continuous Energy Restriction for Adults with Overweight and Obesity? Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes Targets Ther. 2022. Volume 15: 2813-26. PubMed PMC

Rynders CA, Thomas EA, Zaman A, Pan Z, Catenacci VA, Melanson EL. Effectiveness of Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Feeding Compared to Continuous Energy Restriction for Weight Loss. Nutrients. 2019;11:2442. PubMed PMC

Leidy HJ, Clifton PM, Astrup A. et al. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;101:1320S–1329S. PubMed

Barber TM, Kabisch S, Pfeiffer AFH, Weickert MO. The Health Benefits of Dietary Fibre. Nutrients. 2020;12:3209. PubMed PMC

Efimtseva EA, Chelpanova TI. [Dietary fiber as modulators of gastrointestinal hormonal peptide secretion] Vopr Pitan. 2021;90:20–35. PubMed

Olejníčková J, Forejt M, Čermáková E, Hudcová L. Factors influencing basal metabolism of Czechs of working age from South Moravia. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2019;27:135–40. PubMed