On 4 September 2026, elDiario.es published an explainer on whether eating before 1 pm is healthier. The key point: there is no universal time. However, numerous studies suggest consuming a larger share of energy during the active hours of the day and avoiding very late, large meals. This has been shown to benefit metabolic markers.
Among those prominently cited is the Spanish nutrition scientist Marta Garaulet from University of Murcia. She is considered a pioneer of Crononutrición, which investigates how the timing of food intake affects biological rhythms and health. In observational studies and intervention trials, Garaulet and colleagues found that, under the same calorie guidelines, people who eat their main meal later in the day lose less weight on average than those who eat earlier. Controlled studies also report that eating late can worsen glucose tolerance and shift circadian markers. These effects are consistent, although their size varies between studies.
It is important to put this in context: timing alone does not determine health. Evidence and expert commentary from Spain and internationally stress that food quality, total calories, regular sleep times, physical activity and individual chronotype all influence the effects of meal timing. Different but consistent eating windows may therefore make sense for shift workers, young people, older adults or people with pre-existing conditions.
In practical terms, a regular meal pattern, shifting a larger share of calories towards the middle of the day and avoiding very late, calorie-dense evening meals may reduce the risks of weight gain, insulin resistance and other cardiometabolic disorders. This is a probabilistic, not an absolute, claim: it describes average effects across groups, not strict rules for individuals.
For public health communication in Spain, this means no rigid rule about a specific time, but awareness of the influence of meal timing as part of a coherent daily routine involving diet, sleep and exercise. Questions remain: how strong are the effects of timing in different population groups? And which specific eating windows best fit typical daily routines when diet quality is comparable? Larger studies with more diverse participants would be needed to develop robust, practical recommendations.
The current debate therefore puts existing research in context without overstating it: earlier main meals can ease the metabolic load, but there is no ‘magic’ time.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).