Irregular eating habits promote a build-up of fat

Metabolism stands for the entirety of all energy reactions that take place in the body. We eat to provide the body with energy for training, nerve impulses, tissue repair and energy storage. Maintaining these bodily functions is responsible for about 70 percent of daily calorie expenditure, while physical activity (exercise and movement) is responsible for 25 percent of calorie expenditure and the energy cost of digestion (the thermic effect of food) accounts for the remaining five percent. Meal frequency and timing can influence the energy cost of digestion.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham in England found in a study of obese women that irregular eating patterns reduced the calorie expenditure associated with digesting food.

This was only a two-week study, so it is not surprising that the eating patterns did not affect body weight or body measurements.

(Proceedings of the Nutritional Society, 75: E7, 2016)