Takeaway, delivery meals may make you fat, says study

Individuals with high body mass index (BMI) often eat delivery and takeaway meals, while those with low BMI and percent body fat usually consume homecooked meals, a UK study has found.

“Consumption of takeaway and/or delivery meals over the previous 24 h was positively associated with higher BMI and percent body fat in both sexes,” the researchers said. “Consumption of restaurant/café food was also significant in men but not women.”

This study examined the relationship between consumption of different types of meals and BMI or percent body fat. The researchers obtained data from the UK Biobank in response to a “Type of Meals Eaten” survey, which specified the sources of the meals consumed over the previous 24 h. They analysed data with meal choice as the dependent variable first and then BMI as the dependent variable second due to the unknown direction of causality.

Of the 5,197 participants analysed, 2,841 were women and 2,356 men. Individuals with higher BMI and percent body fat reported consuming takeaway and/or delivery meals often (prevalence odds ratio [OR] for women’s adjusted BMI, 2.12, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.40‒3.22; p<0.0001; OR for women’s adjusted percent body fat, 1.95, 95 percent CI, 1.30‒2.93; p<0.0001; OR for men’s adjusted BMI, 1.65, 95 percent CI, 1.05‒2.59; p<0.002; OR for men’s adjusted percent body fat, 1.41, 95 percent CI, 0.70‒2.84; p<0.01). [Am J Clin Nutr 2022;116:173-188]

Both men and women were progressively less likely to eat a homecooked and prepared meal during the previous 24 h as BMI and percent body fat increased. In the analysis of data with BMI and percent body fat as the dependent variable, both adjusted and unadjusted BMI and percent body fat were higher in individuals consuming takeaway and delivery foods the previous day and lower in those eating homecooked meals.

Notably, the probability of having a meal that was prepared and eaten at a restaurant or café also correlated with BMI and percent body fat among men, but not women.

Eating out makes you fat

“These data support previous work showing that individuals in the UK who consumed takeaway meals had on average higher daily energy intake in comparison with people who rarely consume this type of meals and were more likely to have obesity or be overweight,” the researchers said. [Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2017;14:131]

“This was also consistent with previous studies that noted consumption of takeaway meals was positively associated with obesity among UK adults,” they added. [BMJ 2014;348:g1464; Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2018;15:71; Am J Clin Nutr 2016;103:1540-1547]

Moreover, a previous study reported that people who often had their meals at dine-in restaurants were more likely to be overweight or obese. [Obes Med 2020;18:100167]

The finding of the present study regarding the negative association between obesity and homecooked and home-prepared meals was consistent with earlier studies, which also reported a negative relationship between homecooked meals and obesity status. [Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2017;14:109]

“Our investigation supports the widespread suggestion that eating homecooked and prepared meals was less likely to be linked with obesity,” the researchers said. “If the associations are causal, then delivery and takeaway foods may present a suitable target for intervention studies to reduce obesity.”