Stability of the timing of food intake at daily and monthly timescales in young adults.
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ABSTRACT: Cross-sectional observations have shown that the timing of eating may be important for health-related outcomes. Here we examined the stability of eating timing, using both clock hour and relative circadian time, across one semester (n?=?14) at daily and monthly time-scales. At three time points ~?1 month apart, circadian phase was determined during an overnight in-laboratory visit and eating was photographically recorded for one week to assess timing and composition. Day-to-day stability was measured using the Composite Phase Deviation (deviation from a perfectly regular pattern) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to determine individual stability across months (weekly average compared across months). Day-to-day clock timing of caloric events had poor stability within individuals (~?3-h variation; ICC?=?0.12-0.34). The timing of eating was stable across months (~?1-h variation, ICCs ranging from 0.54-0.63), but less stable across months when measured relative to circadian timing (ICC?=?0.33-0.41). Our findings suggest that though day-to-day variability in the timing of eating has poor stability, the timing of eating measured for a week is stable across months within individuals. This indicates two relevant timescales: a monthly timescale with more stability in eating timing than a daily timescale. Thus, a single day's food documentation may not represent habitual (longer timescale) patterns.
SUBMITTER: McHill AW
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7705740 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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