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Association between chronotype, sleep pattern, and eating behaviours in a group of Italian adults.

Alice RosiSofia LottiMarilena VitaleGiuditta PagliaiMaria Pia MadarenaMarialaura BonaccioSimona EspositoCinzia FerrarisMonica GuglielmettiDonato AngelinoDaniela MartiniMonica Dinu
Published in: International journal of food sciences and nutrition (2022)
A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the possible relationship between chronotype, sleeping, and eating patterns in 74 Italian adults (71.6% women). Based on Morningness-Eveningness Questionnare (MEQ) score, participants were classified as morning ( n  = 24), intermediate ( n  = 25), and evening ( n  = 25) chronotypes. From analysis, no significant differences among chronotypes emerged for sleep habits. As to eating behaviours, the evening subjects showed a significant ( p  < 0.05) shift towards later hours of the day in the consumption of all meals, except dinner. In addition, the evening subjects had a later midpoint of energy intake (EI) of about 35 min and 1 h ( p  < 0.001), respectively, than the intermediate and morning subjects. Analysing the diet quality, morning subjects reported significantly ( p  = 0.030) lower consumption of sweets and sweeteners, and significantly ( p  = 0.035) lower intake of ultra-processed fats and seasonings. Evening subjects showed a significant delay in EI during the day, while morning subjects reported a better-quality diet.
Keyphrases
  • physical activity
  • weight loss
  • sleep quality
  • adipose tissue
  • body mass index