“Grazing” could make women fatter than sticking to regular meal times, according to new Geelong research.
Rebecca Leech’s study found “misconceptions” about the health benefits of grazing and evidence that regular meals played “an important role in body weight and cardiovascular health”.
“My research found evidence of a grazing-style eating pattern, characterised by higher snack frequency and energy intake from snacks and eating later in the day … was associated with higher intakes of unhealthy food in both men and women, and women who were overweight or obese were shown to be more likely to have a grazing pattern.”
The study’s findings contrasted some recent dietary theories that favoured snacking over traditional meals for weight loss, Ms Leech said
“The advice to have frequent small meals throughout the day to control hunger while increasing metabolism has been repeated so often that many have come to believe it, and with the abundance of often contradictory nutrition information out there it’s no wonder that people are confused,” she said.
“It’s actually meal frequency, not snack frequency, that can be associated with better adherence to national recommendations for healthy eating in both men and women.”
The findings supported “increased emphasis on the importance of regular meals” rather than snacking and improving snacks’ quality to prevent weight-gain, Ms Leech said.
Ms Leech’s research won her an Alfred Deakin Medal for Doctoral Thesis.
The PhD candidate at Deakin University’s Waterfront campus is among 3700 graduands to receive degrees at the university’s Geelong and Warrnambool campuses over the next two weeks.
Dr Leech exemplified the “can-do” attitude of Deakin graduates, said university vice-chancellor Jane den Hollander.
