Local News

Eating during day may be better for mental health, Brigham and Women's Hospital study finds

By Mallika Marshall, MD

Updated on: September 13, 2022 / 6:39 AM EDT / CBS Boston

HealthWatch: New Botox competitor, a future meat alternative, meal time vs. mental health

BOSTON -- A study conducted by Brigham and Women's Hospital shows that eating during the day may be better for your mental health than eating at night.

Researchers disrupted the circadian rhythms of 12 men and seven women to simulate a night shift.

They found that those who ate both during the day and night experienced what they called higher depression-related and anxiety-related moods. Those who only ate during the day didn't experience the same mood changes.

Now scientists want to see whether changing the timing of meals can help people who have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety.

Mental Health

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

Twitter Facebook