alt Hacker NewsTo be fair this is a reflection of the general state of nutritional science and the actual answer seems to be "it depends on your genes".
Some people do well on 6 small meals, others do well on no breakfast and two large ones. Studies can't tell you anything useful about that, you have to experiment and find out what works best for you
The answer does not really depend on genes. There are personal preferences, there are sex differences (women prefer more carbs), and the biggest component is where you are and in which direction do you want to go to.
But in terms of physiology the answer is quite clear:
1. The protein is the most important macro to get, no matter if bulking or cutting. It is the building block.
2. Whatever the amounts (0.8g-1.8g/kg of bodyweight, depends a bit on a situation and the willingness to lose some potential marginal gains), try to divide your daily protein somewhat evenly between meals.
3. Pareto principle, you get the most benefits by having 3 meals. 4 if you really care about small differences and want to optimize. 5 meals give negligible additional benefits, for professional athletes who want to be anal.
4. So basically eat at least 3 meals and up to whatever works for you practically speaking.
It's not that difficult or ambiguous.