2025 Volume 78 Issue 2 Pages 95-105
Breakfast skipping has become a social issue in Japan, as it is reported to increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Although breakfast is an important factor for regulation of the circadian rhythm, and the National Health and Nutrition Survey in 2019 found that the average energy intake at breakfast accounts for 21.1％ of the daily total, the overall rate of breakfast skipping was 12.1％, the rate being as high as 21.5％ for young adults in their 20s and 30s and 4.6％ for children, which means that the respective targets of 15％ and 0％ have yet to be achieved. The average energy intake in the form of snacks per day has been calculated to be 7.3％ for men and 8.7％ for women on the basis of Japanese dietary records, and it has been reported that snacks contribute to nutritional supplementation not only in the young but also in the elderly. However, few studies have examined the timing and amount of individual snack foods. We have been studying the optimal timing for intake of granola and specific snack products such as potato chips. We anticipate that this approach will contribute to increased recognition and understanding of chrono-nutrition and its impact on society.
