- Researchers report that eating the first and last meals of the day earlier can help prevent heart disease.
- They said that eating the first meal of the day before 8 a.m. and the last before 9 p.m. can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- They add that the reduction in risk is more significant in women than in men.
Eating meals earlier can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new
In their study, researchers looked at data from 103,389 adults with a median age of 42 who participated in the NutriNet-Santé study.
Medical records were obtained via the UK Biobank database. Dietary records provided information on meal timing and the number of times someone ate during 24 hours. The study had an average follow-up time of about 7 years.
During the study period, there were 2,036 cases of cardiovascular disease. This broke down as follows:
The researchers observed the following findings associated with meal timings between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.:
- Delaying the day’s first meal was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Each additional hour of delay was associated with an 6% increase in cerebrovascular disease.
- Eating a last meal of the day after 9 p.m. was associated with a 28% higher risk of cerebrovascular disease than those who ate before 8 p.m.
- No significant additional risk was associated with the number of times someone ate.
- Each additional hour of nighttime fasting (eating an earlier evening meal rather than delaying breakfast) was associated with a 7% lower risk of cerebrovascular disease.
The researchers added that the differences in negative associations in the timing of the day’s last meal were more significant in women than in men.
“Research shows that your body’s ability to burn calories and regulate your appetite is linked to your circadian rhythms,” said Tatiana Ridley, a health coach, holistic nutritionist, and yoga teacher who was not involved in the study.
“Circadian…
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