A study from Sweden found that obese women eat one more meal a day than their non-obese peers, and tend to consume more food later in the day.
In the study, researchers from the University Hospital in Gothenburg interviewed 83 obese women and 94 women of normal weight. The researchers used a questionnaire they developed that aims to identify all intake occasions, even those consisting of one drink. Eating occasions were divided into main meals, light meals, snack meals and drinks.
The obese women consumed 6.1 meals per day compared with 5.2 meals for non-obese women. And all types of meals except 'drink meals' were significantly more frequently consumed in the obese group.
While obese women were just as likely as normal-weight women to eat breakfast, contradicting the notion that overweight people tend to skip a morning meal, the investigators did find that the obese women consumed more meals later in the day, in the evening or night, than the non-obese women. They also had more between-meal snacks.
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