2017 Volume 25 Issue 3 Pages 151-167
Objective: To investigate the correlation between late-night meals/snacks and obesity for adults and children in Japan.
Method: We searched two Japanese databases ("Igaku chuo zasshi" and CiNii) for articles published between 2005 and 2014. For the search, the following keywords were used: late-night meals/snacks and obesity/metabolic syndrome. After screening titles, abstracts, and full texts, 21 articles were included in this review.
Results: Of 21 articles, one was a longitudinal study, 18 were cross-sectional studies, one included both types of studies, and one was an intervention study. As participants, 15 articles included adults and six articles included children. Twelve articles examined late-night meals of adults. Among them, seven articles found that obesity and late-night meals were related; two articles found that this relationship depends on gender; and three articles found no relation. Ten articles examined snacks of adults: four articles found that obesity and snacks were related; three articles found that this relationship depends on gender; and three articles found no relation. On the one hand, only one article reported on children's late-night meals, and no relationship was detected with obesity. Children's snacks was investigated in six articles: two articles found that people with high BMI had a low rate of snacks; one article found that snack consumers had more obesity; and three articles found no relation.
Conclusion: Among adults, late-night meals had a positive association with obesity. For children, many articles found that snacks and obesity were unrelated or negatively related. However, many of these studies were cross-sectional, and almost no articles adjusted confounding factors.
