Clin Nutr. 2026 Mar 27;60:106646. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2026.106646. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Cardiovascular disease develops throughout life, with metabolic syndrome components increasing risk. Eating patterns - how long individuals eat during a 24-h period and the timing of caloric intake, particularly at night - may play critical roles in metabolic syndrome development. This study aimed to describe eating window length and night eating (% of calories consumed after 8pm or after dinner) and their associations with metabolic syndrome risk in emerging adults. Diet quality was assessed as a mediator between eating variables and metabolic syndrome risk.
METHODS: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2020 pre-pandemic data were analyzed. Emerging adults (aged 18-29) with ≥1 day of dietary data who were not pregnant, taking metabolic-related medication, or with a history of metabolic disease were included. Multiple linear regression models stratified by sex assessed whether eating window length and night eating predicted metabolic syndrome risk z-score, controlling for demographic and lifestyle variables.
RESULTS: Among 1478 emerging adults, mean eating window length was 10.9 ± 0.1 h and 34.7% of participants ate for ≥12 h. Median % of calories consumed after 8pm was 18.8% ± 0.8; 11.2% ate ≥25% of calories after dinner. In the fully adjusted model, longer eating windows were associated with lower metabolic syndrome risk in males (n = 181, β = -0.06, p = 0.0008). Males with longer eating windows started eating earlier (6:42am for>14hr eating window vs 2:24pm for<8hr) and had a higher Healthy Eating Index score (50.1 for>14hr eating window vs 40.8 for<8hr). However, diet quality was not a significant mediator. In females (n = 186 in the fully adjusted model), longer eating windows predicted lower metabolic syndrome risk in those who ate a greater proportion of calories after dinner (p = 0.008).
CONCLUSIONS: Long eating windows with early start times were associated with better cardiometabolic health in emerging adult males. Eating window timing may be a consideration for metabolic syndrome risk.
PMID:41962494 | DOI:10.1016/j.clnu.2026.106646