"Late-Night Snacks?" Small Habits Can Lead to Fractures... Japanese Researchers Warn

Skipping Breakfast and Late-Night Eating Habits Raise Osteoporosis Risk
Often Accompanied by Other Unhealthy Behaviors Like Smoking and Lack of Sleep
"Maintaining a Regular Routine Helps Protect Our Health"

A study has found that irregular eating habits can increase the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures.

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency National Health Information Portal

On September 6 (local time), Fox News in the United States reported that a research team from Nara Medical University in Japan revealed that frequently skipping breakfast or eating dinner right before bedtime has a negative impact on bone health.

The researchers examined the lifestyle habits of a total of 927,130 people using an insurance claims database. The participants were adults aged 20 or older who underwent health checkups between April 1, 2014, and February 28, 2022, with a median age of 67. The gender distribution was 55% women and 45% men.

Over approximately two and a half years, the researchers tracked participants to determine whether osteoporotic fractures occurred in the hip, spine, forearm, or upper arm. The results showed that individuals who skipped breakfast more than three times a week or ate dinner within two hours of going to sleep had a higher risk of osteoporosis compared to those who did not.

In addition, people with these eating habits often also had other unhealthy lifestyle factors, such as smoking, frequent alcohol consumption, lack of sleep, and insufficient exercise. Professor Hiroki Nakajima, who led the study, explained, "These eating patterns often co-occurred with other unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, low physical activity, and inadequate sleep," adding, "Comprehensive lifestyle counseling may be important for fracture prevention." This demonstrates that multiple unhealthy habits can accumulate and influence each other over time.

However, this study did not prove a direct causal relationship between irregular meal times and osteoporosis. Nevertheless, previous research has repeatedly confirmed that regular meal times are beneficial to health. Healthy eating habits include finishing all meals within 12 hours each day, concentrating food intake earlier in the day, and avoiding eating before bedtime.

Sunui Escobar, a nutritionist in Miami, United States, explained, "There are several reasons why eating breakfast and dinner at set times is beneficial to health, but I want to emphasize that a regular routine-such as eating at specific times-can help protect our health without relying constantly on willpower or conscious effort."

Meanwhile, osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become weak due to decreased bone density and mass. Fractures mainly occur in the hip, spine, and wrist. Generally, people are not aware they have osteoporosis until they actually break a bone. Especially in older adults, fractures can become life-threatening, making prevention and management crucial.