How a Late Meal Damages Your Heart?
A late meal not only usually has a negative effect on the number on the scales – it can also lead to poorer heart health in women.
Sneaking to the fridge on tiptoe again late in the evening and enjoying the rest of the chocolate cake from the afternoon – what woman doesn’t know that? Now and then such a small sweet sin is not a big problem, but if you regularly eat something late in the evening, you will often notice it on the scales in the long run. And with us women, the heart could also be damaged – at least that’s what a small new US study, to be presented at the American Heart Association’s (AHA’s) Scientific Sessions 2019, shows.
How Healthy is My Heart?
The scientists around Nour Makarem from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons recruited 112 healthy women aged 33 years for their study and compared their heart health with the time of their meals. They used Life’s Simple 7 – a measurement method of the AHA that uses seven factors to determine heart health. The factors are:
- Blood pressure
- Cholesterol
- Blood sugar
- Physical movement
- Nutrition
- Weight
- Smoking behaviour
Using these factors, the scientists determined a so-called cardiovascular health score for each participant in the study. In addition, the participants had to keep a diet diary online for one week, in which they recorded what they ate, when and in what quantity. The test was repeated after twelve months.
Many Calories in the Evening Harm the Heart
The result: women who ate a lot of calories, especially after 6 p.m., tended to have poorer heart health than women who ate before 6 p.m. In addition, blood pressure and BMI tended to be higher and the body’s insulin processing worse. Conversely, it can be concluded that a lower calorie intake after 6 p.m. could improve heart health.
The researchers themselves point out that the study is of limited value due to its small size. But there are already several studies that prove that light food in the evening puts less strain on the body than heavy and high-calorie food. For example, pizza, pasta and the like can cause the digestive system to work harder overnight – which in turn can disturb sleep.