Swedish researchers have found that obese women eat an extra meal each day and tend to eat more food later on in the day. Dr H. Berteus Forslund of Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg and his colleagues interviewed 83 obese women and 94 women of normal weight in an attempt to determine eating habits that contribute to obesity. The researchers questioned the participants about their eating habits and asked them to record whenever they ate or drank anything as either a main meal, light meal, snack, or drink. Results showed that obese women consumed 6.1 meals per day, compared with 5.2 meals for normal weight women, and “all types of meals except ‘drink meals’ were significantly more frequently consumed in the obese group.” The results also showed that obese people consumed more of their meals later on in the day, evening or night.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002; 56:740-747