A study of 420 people who followed a 20-week weight-loss treatment found that late lunch eaters lost less weight.
Approximately half the people ate lunch before 3pm and half afterwards. Energy intake, dietary composition, energy expenditure, appetite hormones, and sleep duration were similar in both groups. Late eaters were more likely to be evening types, had less energetic breakfasts, and skipped breakfast more frequently that early eaters. However, neither sleep duration nor CLOCK SNPs were independently associated with weight loss.
Eating patterns have changed considerably over the last few centuries.