You Are What You Eat, How You Eat & Now, When You Eat!

Give 2 Hours Between Dinner & Bedtime 

Inappropriately timed meals skipped meals and missing nutrients in meals are more-than-enough reasons for new diseases/illnesses to attack us. There have been innumerable relationships between food and cancer risks such as red meat increases risk of cancer whereas eating fresh produce reduces cancer risk. Obesity is a subject that has bee explored and scrutinized for its link to cancer but there have not been much studies about the impact of ‘when’ food is eaten and its risk on cancer.

Early Bird Offer

Since ages, physicians, nutritionists, dietitians and those related to health and fitness industry have been insisting people to eat an early dinner. In earlier times, our ancestors used to eat soon after sunset which seems impossible now! We munch on crunchy samosas, khakras or nachos at 6.30-it has become our snacks break! Dinner time has taken a backseat-we used to eat our dinner at 7.30 or 8 PM, gradually the timings slipped to 8.30 PM and now, it stands anywhere between 9 and 10.30 PM owing to our lifestyle, work culture and many other issues.

A new study has found that having an early supper or eating your dinner at least two hours before going to bed decreases the risk of prostate and breast cancer. The main aim of this study published in the renowned journal International Journal of Cancer was to reveal any links between meal timings and the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer, two of the most common cancers worldwide. Shockingly, these two cancers show a strong link with night-shift work, circadian disruption and changes to biological rhythm. The study focused on the participants’ lifestyle and chronotype (behavioral manifestation of our biological clock which makes different people feel energetic to accomplish work during different times of the day).

The study analyzed 621 cases of prostate cancer and 1205 cases of breast cancer alongside 872 male and 1,321 females without cancer (control group) selected randomly from different healthcare centers. These participants were given an elaborate questionnaire probing into their meal timings, sleep habits, chronotype and eating habits along with their adherence to cancer prevention recommendations.

Not surprisingly, those who followed cancer prevention recommendations and also those breast and prostate cancer patients who were early-morning owls expressed longer supper-sleep intervals. 27% of breast cancer patients followed cancer prevention recommendations compared to 31% of the control group. The results were quite similar in the prostate cancer group. The two groups were interviewed twice about their workday and weekend habits, what they were doing a year before cancer diagnosis and before they were called in for the study. Almost 7% of subjects ate an after-supper snack but the research team considered only full meals for the study. Results showed that people who ate their evening meal before 9.00 p.m. or at least 2 hours before going to bed had around 20% less risk of breast or prostate cancer compared to those who ate after 10.00 p.m. or went to bed soon after eating.

The World Health Organization categorized shift work that disrupted circadian rhythm as a health hazard that can cause cancer in humans. Despite this, people involved in night-shift work were not a part of the current study.

Effects of A Late-Night Meal

Several studies show that people who eat late at night have higher rates of obesity and worse metabolic profiles whereas people who fast for longer hours during the night (meaning, less instances of late-night eating) have better blood sugar control and a lower risk of cancer recurrence. Adherence to diurnal eating patterns is linked with a lower risk of cancer. Researchers feel that disruption of the body clock and reduced ability to process glucose are common factors linking late-night eating and cancer risk.

Although there is strong biological evidence backing the study, there exists a need for much more extensive research and studies in different parts of the world where sleep and food timings differ extensively. Don’t come to hasty conclusions trying to force yourself to sleep late after eating or eat early despite unprecedent interruptions. Until results are clear enough, try to eat healthy food, don’t smoke, maintain ideal body weight, exercise regularly and stay stress-free to be healthy. Get in touch with registered dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com to help you with a healthy diet chart and practical lifestyle modifications to increase your nutrient quotient and help you lead a stress-free life with decreased risk of diseases.