A hands-on study provided new evidence that meal timing can affect mental health, including mood levels linked to depression and anxiety.
According to researchers from the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in the United States, eating late at night can increase levels of anxiety disorders and depression, but eating meals during the day can improve mental health.
Researchers at Brigham Hospital in Boston conducted a study that simulated night work and tested participants for the effects of eating during the day and night versus eating only during the day.
how does eating habits affect depression?
The researchers found that among the participants in the group that ate both during the day and at night, levels of moods similar to depression increased by 26 percent and levels of moods similar to anxiety by 16 percent.
On the other hand, participants in the daytime eating group did not see this increase, suggesting that meal timing may influence mood impairment.
Frank A. J. L. Scheer, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, explained “Our findings provide evidence that meal timing is a novel strategy to reduce the likelihood of mood impairment in individuals with daily maladaptation.”
Frank added, "Future studies of night shift workers are needed to demonstrate whether changing mealtimes can prevent increased mood impairment, and until then our study adds a new player to the table."
Night shift workers represent up to 20% of the workforce in industrial societies and are directly responsible for many hospital services, factory jobs, and other essential services.
Night-shift workers often have a mismatch between their brain's central biological clock and daily behaviors, such as sleeping, waking, and mealtimes, and they also have a 25-40% increased risk of depression and anxiety.
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