Meal Timing and Frequency: Implications for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and expert scientific statement without systematic review methodology
PubMed 28137935 · doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000476
What was done
This American Heart Association scientific statement reviewed literature on the cardiometabolic effects (obesity, lipid profiles, insulin resistance, and blood pressure) of specific eating patterns, including breakfast skipping, intermittent fasting, meal frequency, and the timing of eating occasions. It also proposed standardized research definitions for meals, snacks, and eating occasions.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical findings, statistical metrics, or effect sizes. It qualitatively concludes that irregular eating patterns appear less favorable for cardiometabolic health markers, whereas mindful attention to meal timing and frequency may support healthier cardiometabolic risk factor management.
Why it matters
It highlights meal timing and frequency as relevant components of cardiovascular disease prevention and establishes foundational definitions to standardize future dietary research.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative data, sample size details, or explicit systematic review methodology. As a narrative consensus statement, it reflects qualitative synthesis rather than pooled primary experimental data.
Cited by
- supports An American Heart Association scientific review compiling 70 to 80 studies found that limiting daily eating hours or maintaining overnight fasting benefits cardiovascular health.