Late breakfast linked to risk of death - study

Not only do food preferences change with age, but eating patterns shift as well.

Anew large study conducted by scientists from Massachusetts General Brigham has revealed interesting patterns: older people's eating schedules change over time, and it is especially important what time they eat breakfast.

The scientists analysed data from almost three thousand UK residents aged between 42 and 94. The participants were observed for more than 20 years, studying their eating habits, lifestyle, genetic characteristics and health status. As it turned out, as people age, they tend to eat breakfast later and later, reducing the total "eating window" - the period of time during which they eat.

But the main finding of the study: late breakfast is associated with an increased risk of mortality. In addition, this regime was often associated with depression, energy loss, sleep disturbances and even poorer dental health. People who tend to the evening chronotype ("owls"), more often and ate later than usual.

"Our study shows that the timing of meals, especially breakfast, can be an indicator of an older person's overall health. Changes in the routine are a reason to pay attention to possible hidden problems," says the study's lead author, nutritionist and circadian biologist Hassan Dashti.

According to the scientists, such changes could be the result of difficulties with meal preparation, fatigue or psycho-emotional disturbances. Late breakfast may not be the cause, but a symptom of a more serious deterioration in general health.

It is also important to consider that in the elderly, experimenting with interval fasting or shifts in eating schedules may have different consequences than those seen in younger adults. Therefore, it is especially important for older adults to maintain a stable eating pattern.

The authors of the study recommend that doctors and relatives of the elderly pay attention to such seemingly minor changes. Timely reaction to "breakfast shifts" can help to detect depression, sleep disorders or cognitive abnormalities at an early stage.

"These results give new meaning to the phrase 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day', especially in older age," emphasises Dashti.