who used a different question. Second, we did not account for changes in living status during the follow-up period, household composition, the situation in which meals are eaten alone (e.g. breakfast or dinner), and eating location; however, it is not easy to confirm the possible extent and direction of the resulting bias. For example, there may have been a failure to detect a reverse causation; that is, if a depressed person began living or eating with others, the association between eating and/or living alone and subsequent development of depression may be underestimated. Moreover, the effects of eating alone during breakfast, lunch and dinner may vary. For example, dinner may be more important for family socializing than breakfast