Late eating is associated with higher total energy intake and poorer adequacy of food groups in patients with non-communicable diseases.
Late eating has been linked to adverse physiological and metabolic effects, suggesting that meal timing may affect dietary intake and weight management. This study investigated whether late eating is associated with energy intake, macronutrient distribution, and food group consumption among 792 patients (56.1 ± 12.45 years; 73.3% women) with obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or dyslipidemia attending public health clinics in Uberlândia, Brazil. Dietary intake was assessed by a 24-h recall, and participants were classified as early eaters (caloric midpoint ≤12:30 h) or late eaters (>12:30 h). After adjustment for confounders, a later caloric midpoint was positively associated with total energy (β = 0.09, p < 0.001), carbohydrate (β = 0.10, p = 0.03), and sweets intake (β = 0.13, p = 0.001), and negatively associated with milk and dairy consumption (β = -0.09, p = 0.01). Late eaters showed a higher odds of inadequate consumption of meat and eggs (OR = 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-1.9, p = 0.003), oils and fats (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.0-1.9, p = 0.01), and sweets (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.5, p = 0.003). These findings indicate that consuming a greater proportion of daily calories later in the day is associated with higher energy intake and poorer dietary quality, highlighting the potential importance of meal timing in nutritional counseling and metabolic health.