Weekends are the times that everyone always looks forward to, especially for those who work on weekdays. Weekends are usually spent by lazing around at home to rest the body. Many people also use weekends to sleep more to make up for lack of sleep experienced in weekdays. Therefore, waking up during the day is a habit done by those people on weekends.

However, instead of making up for lack of sleep, the habit of waking up during the day can interfere with other activities, including breakfast. In the results of a recent study conducted by the University of Barcelona, ​​those who changed breakfast time on weekends were associated with an increase in body mass index, compared to those who stick to their meal schedule. The results of this study have been published in the journal Nutrients.

In their study, the researchers analysed 1,106 participants aged 18-25 years old. Each participant was asked to provide a report on their meal times on weekends. To find out the level of body mass index, each participant was also asked to report their height and weight during the study period (2017-2019).

The researchers found that those who experienced "eating jet lag" at least 3.5 hours or more, were at risk of having a higher body mass index compared to those who continued to eat the same time as the previous days. The researchers explained that changes in mealtime could affect the body's circadian system. Disruption of the circadian system is known to cause fat buildup, especially in the waist.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay

Source(s):

• Zeron-Rugerio, M.F., Hernaez, A., Porras-Loaiza, A., P., et al (2019). Eating Jet Lag: A Marker of the Variability in Meal Timing and Its Association with Body Mass Index. Nutrients, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122980.
• Medical News Today - Weekend eating linked to higher BMI (2020). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/ub-study-links-weekend-eating-jet-lag-to-obesity, 3 February 2020.