High-Calorie Evening Meals Associated With Increased Cardiovascular Risk in Women
Your biological clock
is a system that controls a lot more than our sleep. It also
contributes to our metabolism, which is exactly why we are told time and
time again to eat more in the morning and opt for lighter meals in the
evening if we want to lose weight. However, recent research also
expanded on this general knowledge, establishing that late meals are
associated with increased inflammation, which typically goes away when a
person ascribes to a strict meal schedule with lighter evening meals.
But
inflammation and weight gain aren’t even the worst things that can
happen if you eat the most in the evenings, at least for women.
According to recent research, heavy evening meals increase women's risk
of heart disease.
The study has
been conducted at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians
and Surgeons, in New York, and its primary goal was to find out whether
the timing of meals affects women’s cardiovascular health. The study
was based on previous observations that established an increased level
of inflammatory markers associated with heart disease and diabetes in
participants who opted for heavy evening meals.
The
hypothesis was that high caloric intake in the evening may increase
one’s risk of suffering from heart disease. 112 female patients with an
average age of 33 were recruited in the study. To assess the patients’
cardiovascular disease risks, the researchers measured the patients’
blood sugar levels, blood pressure, activity levels, smoking, diet, and
weight.
Then,
the researchers asked the patients to record their meals in a diary for
a full year, and after 12 months, the same measurements were taken once
again. Based on the information from the diaries, researchers attempted
to established a relationship between mealtime and meal caloric value
with cardiovascular risk.
The results
show a systematic increase in cardiovascular risks in women who have
high-calorie evening meals, with each 1% increase in caloric intake
after 6 PM and 8 PM affecting one’s cardiovascular health. These
published results are part of a bigger study that’s yet to be published,
but already, we can see how a small lifestyle change like mealtime can
affect our overall well-being by leaps and bounds.
The
bottom line is that women would most likely all benefit from lighter
evening meals, not only for weight loss but also for maintaining heart
health.