Over-60s facing higher chronic disease risk if they leave this long between meals, say scientists

HealthNews Health Unhappy Asian Senior older man sit alone, eat foods on table in house. Depressed mature attractive elderly retired grandfather stay at home with painful face feeling upset, lonely and miss his family. Credit: Getty PEOPLE over 60 who leave more than 12 hours between meals are more susceptible to long-lasting diseases, a study suggests. The findings show fasting diets are not suitable for older people, say scientists. They found that senior citizens who had long intervals between meals accumulated chronic diseases more rapidly over time than those with shorter intervals. The association was most pronounced among people aged 78 or older. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! Interest in fasting has increased in recent years, but relatively little is known about how meal timing affects older adults. Scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, analysed data from 2,981 people aged 60 or older over a 15-year period. They found that time between meals affected heart-and-lung and brain diseases, but not musculoskeletal disorders. Dr Adrián Carballo-Casla said: “Much of the research on fasting has been conducted in younger or middle-aged populations. “Our findings suggest that the associations may be different in older adults, particularly among the oldest age groups. “Although longer intervals between meals were linked to faster disease accumulation, the study cannot establish whether the fasting pattern independently contributed to this outcome.” Most read in Health Comment now