Longer gaps between meals for older people tied to chronic diseases
A study from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet suggests that older adults who maintain long intervals between daily meals may experience a faster accumulation of chronic diseases. The research followed nearly 3,000 participants over 15 years, noting higher risks for those with 14 to 24-hour gaps between meals.
Why it matters
This research challenges the universal application of intermittent fasting trends, suggesting that nutritional timing needs may differ significantly for the elderly population.
A study by a team of scientists from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has suggested that older people who typically had longer intervals between meals accumulated chronic diseases more rapidly over time than those with shorter intervals, particularly those over 78.
Their research was published in the Journal of Internal Medicine .
Interest in fasting has increased in recent years, but relatively little is known about how meal timing affects health in older adults. For this study, the researchers investigated whether the duration of the longest daily interval between meals was associated with the accumulation of chronic diseases over time.
They used data from the Swedish National Study on Ageing and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K), which includes 2 981 people in Stockholm aged 60 or older at the start of the study. Participants were followed for up to 15 years.
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