How meal timing affects the risk of cardiovascular diseases: research
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In addition to calories and the nutritional value of food, the timing of meals and drinks is also important. Later first and last meals are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, especially in women. This is evidenced by the results of a large prospective study.
The study involved 103,389 people, with an average age of 42.6 years at the start of the study. Among them, 79% were women who participated in the NutriNet-Santé cohort study conducted in France to better understand the link between nutrition and health.
Study participants had to fill out questionnaires answering several groups of questions. In addition to data on socio-demographics, lifestyle, and physical activity, they provided information on what hours of the day they consumed food and drink. They also reported on their health status and the presence of diseases.
The researchers evaluated the association between the time of the first meal of the day (before 8 am, 8-9 am, after 9 am) and the last meal (before 8 pm, 8-9 pm, after 9 pm), the number of meals, the duration of overnight fasting (12 hours or less, 12-13 hours, more than 13 hours), and the risk of cardiovascular disease. In doing so, they took into account a large number of potential factors, including age, gender, education, income, smoking, and physical activity level.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEAL TIMES AND RISKS
During the follow-up period (7.2 years), 2036 cases of cardiovascular disease, 988 cases of cerebrovascular disease (stroke, transient ischemic attack), and 1071 cases of coronary heart disease (myocardial infarction, angina, acute coronary syndrome, angioplasty) were registered.
Each additional hour of delay in the first meal of the day was associated with a higher risk of total cardiovascular disease (hazard ratio [HR], 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01-1.12; P = .02). This association was stronger in women than in men.
Each additional hour of delay in the last meal was associated with an increased risk of vascular disease. The last meal after 21:00 was associated with a 28% higher risk than eating before 20:00 (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.05-1.55; P < 0.01).
The researchers found no association between the number of meals and cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, nor did they find a link between the time or number of meals and the risk of coronary heart disease.
Each hour of increased overnight fasting was associated with a 7% reduction in the risk of vascular disease (HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.87-0.99; P = 0.02), but did not affect the risk of total cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease.
The authors believe that the results of the study indicate the potential benefits of early meal times for preventing cardiovascular disease, as well as combining a longer overnight fasting period with an early last meal instead of skipping breakfast.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and the University of Pompeu Fabra. It was published online on December 14, 2023, in Nature Communications.
It is worth noting that the study does not include information on the level of physical activity, the use of drugs or alcohol, which are potential disruptors of circadian rhythms, as well as the time and duration of sleep. A reverse causal shift cannot be ruled out, when people with poor health find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, and therefore eat breakfast later. Additionally, the participants in the NutriNet-Santé cohort, who were the vast majority in the study, have a higher socioeconomic status and healthier behavioral patterns, which likely limits the extrapolation of the results.