(Credit: Getty Images)
(Credit: Getty Images)
Korean medical researchers have found a link between the number of meals a day and the risk of developing insulin resistance.
A team of researchers led by Professor Kwon Yu-jin and Senior Lecturer Ryu Ha-eun of the Department of Family Medicine at Yongin Severance Hospital and Dr. Heo Seok-jae Heo of Yonsei University College of Medicine's Department of Biomedical Systems Informatics said Wednesday that eating three or more meals a day reduces the risk of insulin resistance by 12 percent.
Insulin resistance, a condition in which body tissues, such as the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue, do not respond adequately to insulin, is a prominent pathological feature of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. It is closely associated with chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease.
A team of researchers from Yonsei University College of Medicine has published a study showing that eating three or more meals daily reduces insulin resistance risk by 12 percent. They are, from left, Professor Kwon Yu-jin, Senior Lecturer Ryu Ha-eun of the Department of Family Medicine at Yongin Severance Hospital, and Dr. Heo Seok-jae of the Department of Biomedical Systems Informatics. (Courtesy of Yongin Severance Hospital)
Interests have recently grown in weight loss strategies that reduce the number of meals, including intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating. However, whether weight loss is due to eating fewer meals, calorie restriction, or other factors remains unclear.
Using data from the Korean Genome Epidemiology Survey (KoGES) between 2001 and 2020, the researchers analyzed the impact of the number of meals per day on developing insulin resistance and analyzed differences by subgroup characteristics, including gender, body mass index (BMI), and diabetes status.
The researchers followed 4,570 adults aged 40 to 69 for an average of 10.6 years and compared insulin resistance in two groups -- those who ate three or more meals daily and those who ate fewer than three meals daily. The HOMA-IR index was utilized to assess insulin resistance. The researchers used a Cos-proportional hazards model analysis to assess the association between meal frequency and the risk of developing insulin resistance.
The results showed that those who ate three or more meals per day had a 12 percent lower risk of developing insulin resistance than those who ate less than three meals daily while maintaining positive associations with body weight, fasting glucose, and triglyceride levels. The association remained significant in men, those who were not obese, and those without diabetes. However, there was no association in women, the obese group, or those with diabetes.
The researchers explained that their study suggests that eating three regular meals a day may effectively prevent and manage insulin resistance and metabolic disease in middle-aged and older adults. They also emphasized the importance of establishing customized health management strategies considering individual characteristics, including gender, BMI, and diabetes status.
“This study is significant because it is the first large-scale cohort study to follow the association between the number of meals per day and insulin resistance for a long period,” Professor Kwon said. “Based on the results, we plan to conduct future intervention studies and develop customized dietary improvement programs for people at high risk of metabolic diseases.”
The findings were recently published in the Diabetes and Metabolism Journal.
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