Late Eating Is Associated with Obesity, Inflammatory Markers and Circadian-Related Disturbances in School-Aged Children

Martínez-Lozano, N.; Tvarijonaviciute, A.; Ríos, R.; Barón, I.; Scheer, F.A.J.L.; Garaulet, M. Late Eating Is Associated with Obesity, Inflammatory Markers and Circadian-Related Disturbances in School-Aged Children. Nutrients 202012, 2881.

Nutrients202012(9), 2881; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12092881 Received: 16 August 2020 / Revised: 11 September 2020 / Accepted: 15 September 2020 / Published: 21 September 2020(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meal Timing to Improve Human Health)

Abstract

Late eating has been shown to promote metabolic dysregulation and to be associated with obesity in adults. However, few studies have explored this association in children. We compared the presence of obesity, metabolic alterations and circadian-related disturbances between school-aged children who were early dinner eaters (EDE) or late dinner eaters (LDE). School-age children (n = 397; 8–12 years; mean BMI (range): 19.4 kg/m2 (11.6–35.1); 30.5% overweight/obesity) from Spain were classified into EDE and LDE, according to dinner timing (Median: 21:07). Seven-day-dietary-records were used to assess food-timing and composition. Non-invasive tools were used to collect metabolic biomarkers (saliva), sleep and circadian-related variables (body-temperature and actigraphy). Compared to EDE, LDE were more likely to be overweight/obese [OR: 2.1 (CI: 1.33, 3.31); p = 0.002], and had higher waist-circumference and inflammatory markers, such as IL-6 (1.6-fold) (p = 0.036)) and CRP (1.4-fold) than EDE (p = 0.009). LDE had alterations in the daily patterns of: (a) body-temperature, with a phase delay of 26 min (p = 0.002), and a reduced amplitude (LDE = 0.028 (0.001) and EDE = 0.030 (0.001) (Mean (SEM); p = 0.039); (b) cortisol, with a reduced amplitude (LDE = 0.94 (0.02) and EDE = 1.00 (0.02); p = 0.035). This study represents a significant step towards the understanding of novel aspects in the timing of food intake in children.

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