SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2023
The effects of eating frequency on changes in body composition and cardiometabolic health in adults: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized trials.
Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Objective and subjective appetite measures: high versus low eating frequency in a randomized crossover clinical trial.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2025Trial
- Article
- Associations between chrono-nutrition and glucose metabolism across levels of glucose impairment: The Maastricht Study.European journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Meal Frequency and Body Composition in Obese Adults Presenting for a Weight-Loss Program: A Cross-Sectional Study.Cureus · 2026Article
- Do We Just Need To Eat Less Often? An Update on the Role of Eating Frequency and Intermittent Fasting for Obesity Prevention and Management.Current obesity reports · 2025Review
- Circadian Deregulation: Back Facing the Sun Toward Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) Development.Nutrients · 2024Review
- Chrononutrition behaviors and cardiometabolic risk in adolescence: an ecological momentary assessment study.European journal of nutrition · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEating frequency may affect body weight and cardiometabolic health. Intervention trials and observational studies have both indicated that high- and low-frequency eating can be associated with better health outcomes. There are currently no guidelines to inform how to advise healthy adults about how frequently to consume food or beverages.
aimTo establish whether restricted- (≤ three meals per day) frequency had a superior effect on markers of cardiometabolic health (primary outcome: weight change) compared to unrestricted-eating (≥ four meals per day) frequency in adults.
methodsWe searched Medline (Ovid), Embase, CINAHL (EBSCO), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), CAB Direct and Web of Science Core Collection electronic databases from inception to 7 June 2022 for clinical trials (randomised parallel or cross-over trials) reporting on the effect of high or low-frequency eating on cardiometabolic health (primary outcome: weight change). Trial interventions had to last for at least two weeks, and had to have been conducted in human adults. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool 2.0. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for all outcomes. Certainty of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.
resultsSeventeen reports covering 16 trials were included in the systematic review. Data from five trials were excluded from meta-analysis due to insufficient reporting. 15 of 16 trials were at high risk of bias. There was very low certainty evidence of no difference between high- and low-frequency eating for weight-change (MD: -0.62 kg, CI
conclusionsThere was no discernible advantage to eating in a high- or low-frequency dietary pattern for cardiometabolic health. We cannot advocate for either restricted- or unrestricted eating frequency to change markers of cardiometabolic health in healthy young to middle-aged adults. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: CRD42019137938.
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