Associations of Meal Timing and Temporal Eating Patterns with Cardiovascular Disease Among Chinese Older Adults

Background: Direct evidence linking meal timing to cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains limited. This study examined the associations of meal timing and temporal eating patterns with prevalent CVD among Chinese older adults. Methods: From September 2021 to October 2025, 1386 community-dwelling adults aged ≥60 years from various socioeconomic regions of China were interviewed face-to-face. Meal timing (breakfast, lunch, and dinner timing) and sleep-wake schedules (wake-up and bedtime) were collected using standardized questionnaires. Four temporal eating parameters were calculated: wake-up to breakfast interval, eating window, dinner to bedtime interval, and the interval from eating midpoint to awake midpoint. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify temporal eating patterns. Prevalent CVD was assessed by questionnaires and verified with medical records. Results: Among 1305 eligible participants (mean [SD] age, 69.6 [6.9] years; 54.6% female), 196 (15.0%) had prevalent CVD. Compared with participants who had breakfast at ≤6:00, those who had breakfast at >7:00 had 75% higher odds of prevalent CVD (95% CI: 1.02, 2.99). Compared with dinner at ≤17:00, dinner at >18:00 had higher odds of prevalent CVD (OR = 2.61, 95% CI: 1.54, 4.43). Three temporal eating patterns were identified: typical eating pattern (58.1%), early-phase eating pattern (10.9%), and late-phase eating pattern (31.0%). Compared with the typical eating pattern, the late-phase eating pattern was associated with 56% higher odds of prevalent CVD (95% CI: 1.08, 2.26), whereas the early-phase eating pattern was associated with 45% lower odds of prevalent CVD (95% CI: 0.28, 1.07), although this association did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: Late-phase eating pattern, particularly delayed breakfast and dinner timing, was associated with increased likelihood of prevalent CVD. Temporal eating patterns may represent a modifiable behavioral target for cardiovascular health in older adults.