Research

Energy balance

Consuming ≥33% of total daily energy intake during the midday period (11:00–17:00) is associated with a lower risk of being overweight or obese compared to consuming less than 33%.

Shift your largest meal to midday (between 11:00 and 17:00). Aim to consume at least one-third of your daily calories during this window. This timing is associated with a lower risk of obesity compared to eating the same amount in the evening. You do not need to force a large breakfast; simply ensuring your main caloric intake happens earlier in the day may help regulate your overall energy balance.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Participants who consumed ≥33% (versus <33%) of their daily energy intake at 12.00 h were (nonsignificantly) less likely to be overweight/obese [odds ratio (OR) = 0.68; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.37–1.24] and this association was stronger and statistically significant among true-reporters (OR = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.12–0.95).
Julie B. Wang et al. · Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics · 2013

Why this rating

Cross-sectional design limits causal inference; however, the use of doubly-labeled water for a subset ('true-reporters') strengthens validity.

Source

Timing of energy intake during the day is associated with the risk of obesity in adults

Julie B. Wang et al. · Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics · 2013

DOI 10.1111/jhn.12141

cross_sectional · n=239Cited 274×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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