Timing of food intake and risk of overweight and obesity in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort
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.
Methods: 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).
Results: 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.
Conclusions: 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.
Key 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.
• More prospective studies are needed to corroborate these findings, and translate them into clinical and public health recommendations.
Related
- Timing of food intake and lifetime acne and severity in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort
- Association between overweight and obesity and the frequency of general practice consultations among children aged 2–17 years: a French retrospective cohort study
- FODMAP Consumption by Adults from the French Population-Based NutriNet-Santé Cohort
- Eating jetlag based on meal timing discrepancies and risk of cardiovascular disease using the prospective cohort NutriNet-Santé
- Long-Term Trends and Regional Heterogeneity in Overweight and Obesity Among Adults — 11 Intermittent Surveys in China, 1991–2024
BibTeX
@article{obeid2026timing,
title = {{Timing of food intake and risk of overweight and obesity in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort}},
author = {E Obeid and E Guyonnet and A Hasenböhler and L Beeker and V Desplats and A Bellicha and JM Oppert and M Touvier and K Ezzedine and B Srour},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1322},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1322},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Timing of food intake and risk of overweight and obesity in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort
AU - E Obeid
AU - E Guyonnet
AU - A Hasenböhler
AU - L Beeker
AU - V Desplats
AU - A Bellicha
AU - JM Oppert
AU - M Touvier
AU - K Ezzedine
AU - B Srour
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1322
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1322
AB - 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. Methods: 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). Results: 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. Conclusions: 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. Key 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. • More prospective studies are needed to corroborate these findings, and translate them into clinical and public health recommendations.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -