Breakfast O’Clock
If you’ve been savoring your breakfast at the respectable hour of, say, 11:30 AM, science has some politely raised eyebrows for you. A new study from the University of Manchester followed nearly 3,000 older adults over three decades and found that as we age, our meals slowly start to drift later in the day - especially breakfast. And while that may feel like a well-earned retirement perk, there might be health consequences worth noting. The scientists tracked mealtimes from the 1980s through 2017, looking at breakfast, lunch, dinner, sleep habits, and health. They also peeked at participants’ genes to see if some folks are naturally more night-owl-ish. And here is the Big Bite-Sized Finding. Breakfast creeps later with age. On average, breakfast time got about 45 minutes later over the decades. Dinner also drifted later, while lunch stayed right where it was (because apparently lunchtime is sacred). Health struggles were tied to late meals. Fatigue, depression, anxiety, and even dental...