As we get older, our eating habits — what we eat and how much — often change. However, beyond what and how much we consume, another aspect of eating — the timing of meals — and how it relates to health is still not well understood. A team of researchers from Mass General Brigham and their partners studied this in older adults. Their results were published in Communications Medicine.

Hassan Dashti, the lead author and a nutrition scientist, and his team focused on key parts of meal timing that matter for older people. To get reliable data, they analyzed information (including blood samples) from 2,945 adults, aged 42 to 94, who were tracked for over 20 years. The findings first revealed a clear age-related pattern: as people get older, they tend to eat breakfast and dinner later. Beyond this timing shift, the study also highlighted a practical value of meal timing: changes in when older adults eat — especially breakfast time — can be an easy-to-check sign of their overall health. For example, patients and doctors might use these changes as an early warning to look into hidden physical or mental health issues. What’s more, helping older adults keep regular meal schedules could be part of broader plans to support healthy aging and longer lives.

The research further dug into the links between late meal times and health risks. Eating breakfast later, in particular, was linked to health problems like depression, tiredness, and oral health issues. Additionally, trouble preparing meals and poor sleep were found to go along with later meal times too, suggesting these factors might together affect older adults’ eating routines. Most notably, later breakfasts were tied to a higher risk of death during the study period. The team also noticed a genetic connection: people with genes that make them “night owls” (who prefer sleeping and waking later) often ate meals later, which helps explain why some older adults naturally shift their meal times.

Dashti said, “Before, we knew little about how meal timing changes with age and how this affects health and longevity. Our findings fill this gap. This gives new meaning to ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day,’ especially for older people.”

1.1. Why did the researchers conduct the study?

A To change older adults’ diets.

B To find ways to treat depression.

C To test new blood sample methods.

D To explore meal timing and health links.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据第一段中的“the timing of meals—and how it relates to health is still not well understood...studied this in older adults”可知，（进餐时间及其与健康的关系，至今仍未得到充分了解……针对老年人的这一问题展开了研究），“studied this”中的“this”指代“进餐时间及其与健康的关系”，可推理出该研究目的是“探索进餐时间及其与健康的关系”。故选D。

2.2. What practical use might changes in meal timing serve?

A A tool for diet planning.

B An early indicator of health issues.

C A way to improve sleep quality.

D A method for genetic testing.

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。根据第二段中的“can be an easy-to-check sign of their overall health...as an early warning to look into hidden physical or mental health issues...”可知，早餐时间可以作为一个易于监测的指标，用以反映其整体健康状况……可以将这些变化视为早期预警信号，以排查潜在的生理或心理健康问题。故选B。

3.3. What can we learn about late breakfast?

A It is caused by genetic factors.

B It reduces sleep time.

C It may result in illnesses.

D It helps with meal preparation.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据第三段的“Eating breakfast later, in particular, was linked to health problems like depression, tiredness, and oral health issues...poor sleep...a higher risk of death”可知，晚吃早餐与抑郁、疲劳和口腔健康问题等健康风险存在关联……睡眠不佳也与进餐时间较晚有关……与更高的死亡风险相关。即晚吃早餐可能引起一些疾病。故选C。

4.4. What does Dashti think of the study?

A It offers new insights into meal timing and aging.

B It needs more blood sample data to prove.

C It is only important for people who are night owls.

D It will change how older adults eat.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据第四段的“Before, we knew little about how meal timing changes with age and how this affects health and longevity. Our findings fill this gap.”可知，达什蒂认为过去对于进餐时间如何随年龄变化及其如何影响健康与长寿所知甚少，此研究发现填补了这一空白。即为用餐时间与健康之间的关系提供了新的见解。故选A。