We hear a lot about what our diet should look like and which foods we should avoid. Lately, there has been a lot of talk about how you should avoid eating late at night, and maybe for a good reason, as there is a new study that links eating late with poor health.
Preliminary research suggests that women who ate a higher percentage of their daily calories later in the day were more likely to get cardiovascular disease. This is quite important, as up til now, eating late has mostly been correlated with gaining weight.
Researchers measured the cardiovascular health of 112 women, the average age being 33 at the beginning of the study, and one year after the study began. Women who were participants in the study were asked to keep and electronic diaries and log everything they ate for a week. They were also asked to do the same thing one year later. Based on data researchers collected, they established the correlation between the hearth health and the timing of when women ate.
After examining the collected data, researchers concluded that the participants who consumed a larger proportion of their daily calorie intake after 6 PM had poorer health. They have also found that with every 1% of the increase in calories consumed after 6 PM, hearth health declined. Women who ate later in the day and consumed most of their calorie intake at that time were more likely to have high blood pressure, higher body mass index, and poorer control of blood sugar.
The preliminary results of this study prove just how important intentional eating is. We should be mindful of when we eat and of our food portions. The results of the study need to be confirmed by working with a larger group of participants. However, this research is important as it shows women that they should be more aware of their dietary choices and ways to manage their health risks.
