An eating pattern characterised by skipped or delayed breakfast is associated with mood disorders among an Australian adult cohort

The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of different time-of-day eating patterns on incidence of lifetime mood disorders. From 2004 to 2006, the study assessed 1,304 subjects on their food and drink intake over 24 hours. Their lifetime mood disorder prevalence was measured at follow-up (5 years later) using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Three eating habits were identified: grazing (intake spread across the day); traditional (highest intakes as breakfast, lunch and dinner); and late (either skipped or delayed breakfast with greater consumption in the evening). Compared to the adults in the respective pattern at baseline and follow-up, a higher prevalence of mood disorder was seen in the highest third of the “late” pattern (PR=2.04), and a lower incidence observed in the highest third of those eating in the “traditional” pattern (PR=0.31). It was found that the adults in this cohort population who experienced a mood disorder during the follow-up had a 1.07 higher relative risk of being in a higher “late” pattern score category than those who did not experience a mood disorder. This suggests that having an eating pattern that involves skipping or delaying breakfast may increase one’s risk of developing mood disorders. [NPID: behavior, eating patterns, grazing, skipped breakfast, breakfast]

Year: 2020

Reference: Wilson, J. E., Blizzard, L., Gall, S. L., Magnussen, C. G., Oddy, W. H., Dwyer, T., Sanderson, K., Venn, A. J., & Smith, K. J. (2020). An eating pattern characterised by skipped or delayed breakfast is associated with mood disorders among an Australian adult cohort. Psychological medicine, 50(16), 2711–2721. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291719002800

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