Timing of meals linked to heart health. According to a recent study from the American Heart Association, your weight may be correlated to the timing of your meals, not just what’s in them. The likely culprit? Your body’s internal clock. Research shows that meal timing has a huge impact on how that clock functions. Eating right before bed can impact your metabolism, causing weight gain and potentially leading to diabetes and heart disease. Skipping breakfast yielded mixed results in terms of weight gain, while short periods of fasting (every other day to once a week) was found to be effective in terms of weight loss.