According to experts, breakfast plays an important role in your long-term health and can even influence your overall health and how long you live. New research suggests that as people age, the timing of their meals - especially breakfast - is critical. Consuming breakfast late in the morning is linked to higher rates of health issues like depression, fatigue, and oral health issues, as well as a greater risk of early death. "Our research suggests that changes in when older adults eat, especially the timing of breakfast, could serve as an easy-to-monitor marker of their overall health status," said Dr Hassan Dashti, lead author of the study, who is also a nutrition scientist and circadian biologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, in a new release. "Encouraging older adults in having consistent meal schedules could become part of broader strategies to promote healthy ageing and longevity." What did the study find? According to the research, published in the journal Communications Medicine, it followed around 3,000 adults in the UK aged between 42 and 94 years for more than two decades. The participants ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with information on sleep habits, occupations, and perceived health. However, as they aged, the participants' breakfast and dinner times gradually shifted. On average, each additional decade of life was linked to an eight-minute delay in breakfast. Their overall eating window-the number of hours between first and last meals-also narrowed. And so, by delaying breakfast, the participants showed chronic health conditions and a higher risk of death; each additional hour's delay in breakfast time corresponded to an 8 to 11 per cent increased risk of death. "The timings add new meaning to the saying that 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day,' especially for older individuals," said Dashti. Which is the best time to eat breakfast? Even though the study does not prove that eating earlier can lead to longevity, scientists do feel there are many benefits to an early and consistent breakfast routine, as it helps boost metabolism. Not eating breakfast and eating later causes glucose spikes later in the day - damaging your blood vessels, increasing inflammation, and raising the risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. And so, the best time to eat is within one or two hours after you wake up to synchronize your body's internal clock, support better metabolism and sleep patterns throughout the day. A proper and consistent breakfast routine also reinforces your body's circadian rhythm - the internal 24-hour clock that governs everything from digestion to hormone release.