ArticlePublic health nutrition2016
Meal patterns across ten European countries - results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study.
Article in Public health nutrition, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 85 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nutritional Determinants of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the European Union: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- Daily Duration of Eating for Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- Prevalence of protein intake below recommended in community-dwelling older adults: a meta-analysis across cohorts from the PROMISS consortium.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2020Pooled it
- Meal analysis for understanding eating behavior: meal- and participant-specific predictors for the variance in energy and macronutrient intake.Nutrition journal · 2019Pooled it
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- Diurnal Variation and Impairment of Postprandial Glucose-Insulin Responses and Lipid Rhythms in Simulated Shift Work.Nutrition bulletin · 2026Article
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- Exercise Timing and its Effects on Eating Behavior, Weight, and Body Composition: A Systematic Scoping Review to Identify Gaps and Inform Future Research.Current nutrition reports · 2026Article
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- Temporal meal patterns in relation to diet quality and body mass index: findings from a cross-sectional analysis.European journal of nutrition · 2025Article
- Plasma LEAP2 concentration is associated with energy intake and postprandial insulin increase depending on meal size but not weight status in men.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2025Article
- The Link Between Dietary Timing and Exercise Performance Through Adipocyte AMPKα2 Signaling.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Impact of fasting duration on LDL cholesterol concentrations estimated by the Friedewald, Martin-Hopkins, and Sampson/NIH equations.Biochemia medica · 2025Article
- Temporal meal patterns in the Swedish population and associations with socio-demographic variables and nutrient intakes: a cross-sectional study.The British journal of nutrition · 2025Article
- Relative validity of the Chrono-Nutrition Behavior Questionnaire (CNBQ) against 11-day event-based ecological momentary assessment diaries of eating.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Article
- Dietary Habits, Awareness, and Knowledge among Polish Healthcare Providers and Healthcare Students.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Chrononutrition and Cardiometabolic Health: An Overview of Epidemiological Evidence and Key Future Research Directions.Nutrients · 2024Review
- Longitudinal associations of circadian eating patterns with sleep quality, fatigue and inflammation in colorectal cancer survivors up to 24 months post-treatment.The British journal of nutrition · 2024Article
- Meal patterns, including intermittent fasting - a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023.Food & nutrition research · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
44 authors at 20 institutions in 11 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo characterize meal patterns across ten European countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study.
designCross-sectional study utilizing dietary data collected through a standardized 24 h diet recall during 1995-2000. Eleven predefined intake occasions across a 24 h period were assessed during the interview. In the present descriptive report, meal patterns were analysed in terms of daily number of intake occasions, the proportion reporting each intake occasion and the energy contributions from each intake occasion.
settingTwenty-seven centres across ten European countries. SUBJECTS: Women (64 %) and men (36 %) aged 35-74 years (n 36 020).
resultsPronounced differences in meal patterns emerged both across centres within the same country and across different countries, with a trend for fewer intake occasions per day in Mediterranean countries compared with central and northern Europe. Differences were also found for daily energy intake provided by lunch, with 38-43 % for women and 41-45 % for men within Mediterranean countries compared with 16-27 % for women and 20-26 % for men in central and northern European countries. Likewise, a south-north gradient was found for daily energy intake from snacks, with 13-20 % (women) and 10-17 % (men) in Mediterranean countries compared with 24-34 % (women) and 23-35 % (men) in central/northern Europe.
conclusionsWe found distinct differences in meal patterns with marked diversity for intake frequency and lunch and snack consumption between Mediterranean and central/northern European countries. Monitoring of meal patterns across various cultures and populations could provide critical context to the research efforts to characterize relationships between dietary intake and health.
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