{
  "abstract": "Background: Circadian misalignment has been associated with weight gain. While short-term trials suggest meal timing, a circadian synchronizer, can aid weight loss in individuals with obesity, long-term evidence linking meal timing to obesity or overweight remains limited.\n\nMethods: We used data from 87,377 adults (Mean age: 44y; 78% Females) in the French NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort study (2009 - 2023; median follow-up: 6 years, IQR: 2.2-11.5). Participants reported their weight and height every 6 months via validated online questionnaires. We assessed time-dependent meal timing variables - timing of first and last eating occasions, nighttime fasting duration, number of eating occasions, eating jetlag (weekday-weekend regularity), and caloric midpoint - using repeated 24h dietary records. Multivariable proportional hazards Cox models, adjusted for confounders including socioeconomic status, baseline BMI, and total energy intake, were used to estimate risks of overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m²) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m²).\n\nResults: Later first and last eating occasions were associated with a higher overweight risk (9924 cases/383,811 person-years): HR for 1-hr =1.06 (1.04-1.08) and 1.03 (1.01-1.06), respectively, but not with obesity (4194 cases/549,245 person-years). A later caloric midpoint was associated with a higher risk of overweight and obesity: HR = 1.05 (1.03-1.06) and 1.03 (1.01-1.05), respectively. Participants reporting earlier eating timing on weekends than weekdays exhibited a higher risk of overweight (HR = 1.13 (1.00-1.26)) and obesity (HR = 1.21 (1.03-1.43)) compared to those with more regular schedules. Nighttime fasting and number of eating occasions were not associated with any of the outcomes.\n\nConclusions: This large-scale prospective study suggests potential long-term adverse effects of later meal timing, energy distribution and irregular eating timing patterns on the risks of both overweight and obesity.\n\nKey messages: • Beyond energy intake, later eating and energy distribution and irregular eating timing patterns are associated with higher overweight and obesity risk in adults over a median follow-up of 6 years.\n\n• More prospective studies are needed to corroborate these findings, and translate them into clinical and public health recommendations.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "abstract",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "E Obeid"
    },
    {
      "name": "E Guyonnet"
    },
    {
      "name": "A Hasenböhler"
    },
    {
      "name": "L Beeker"
    },
    {
      "name": "V Desplats"
    },
    {
      "name": "A Bellicha"
    },
    {
      "name": "JM Oppert"
    },
    {
      "name": "M Touvier"
    },
    {
      "name": "K Ezzedine"
    },
    {
      "name": "B Srour"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dzj2b157qrnm7.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1322",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13699087/",
  "id": "dzj2b157qrnm7",
  "issns": [
    "1101-1262",
    "1464-360X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1322",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "6. Poster Displays"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/MED00860"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/SOC01210"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/SOC02610"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "DH. Food, nutrition and diet"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2737|Dietary Effects on Health"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223709869",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13699087/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13699087",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "Oxford University Press",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dzj2b157qrnm7.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:45Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13699087",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1322"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:45Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13699087",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13699087"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2737|Dietary Effects on Health",
      "subfield": "physiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Timing of food intake and risk of overweight and obesity in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort",
  "title_text": "Timing of food intake and risk of overweight and obesity in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:35:42Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dzj2b157qrnm7",
  "venue": "The European Journal of Public Health",
  "versions": []
}