Having late eating habits – such as breaking the night fast at nine in the morning or having dinner after nine in the evening – is unhealthy and increases cardiovascular risk, especially in women, while having breakfast and dinner before eight, by prolonging the night fast, it reduces the risk of cerebrovascular diseases, such as stroke. It follows from a study carried out by a scientific team from ISGlobal, Inrae, Inserm and the Université Sorbonne Paris Nord on the eating patterns of more than 100,000 people (79% women) during an average of seven years.
“Our data suggest that, beyond the nutritional quality of the diet, meal times can help promote better cardiovascular health,” says Anna Palomar-Cros, first author of the study. And he points out that, with the data obtained, “the recommendation is to have breakfast before eight in the morning and dinner before eight in the evening, and fast until the next day”. Because, according to this study, the risk of cardiovascular disease increases by 6% for every hour that breakfast is delayed and, in the case of dinner, eating it after nine is associated with an increase of 28 % of the risk of suffering pathologies such as stroke. In contrast, a longer duration of overnight fasting is associated with less risk.
Palomar-Cros explains that eating a late breakfast affects cardiometabolic risk factors: increased blood pressure, more inflammation or increased insulin levels. And a late last meal “is associated with higher glycosylated hemoglobin and may contribute to glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, higher cholesterol levels and an increase in body mass index, according to human trials “. In addition, explains the ISGlobal researcher, eating during the resting phase, when melatonin levels are high, can lead to developing glucose intolerance and higher blood sugar levels. “Studies in animals show that delaying the first meal of the day or having a late dinner are related to an increase in body weight, the accumulation of fat in the liver and alterations in gene expression related to lipid metabolism”, he points out.
That’s why he emphasizes the importance of respecting these early eating patterns now that many people, seduced by the benefits of prolonged or intermittent fasting, choose to delay or skip breakfast to counter a late dinner. “The ideal is to extend the fast by bringing forward the last meal of the day, not postponing the first,” he says.
