•They found out that those who had their meal at random times had an increased risk of dying from a hemorrhagic stroke.
• Avoiding higher consumption of food within 2 h before bedtime is recommended.
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It is high time you and your family start adopting a regular meal time.
In fact, two papers published in the proceedings of the Nutrition Society found that adults who consume meals at the same time every day were less obese and had better cholesterol, insulin levels and even less risk of stroke.
In support of this, a new study published in the journal Nutrients suggested that you risk certain types of strokes if you are used to eating your evening meals at irregular times.
The study examined the link between supper timing and risks of mortality from stroke, coronary heart disease, and total cardiovascular diseases.
It assessed 28,625 males and 43,213 females, aged 40 to 79 years, free from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer at baseline.
It then divided them into groups of three;
- Those that had supper before 8 pm.
- Those that did not have a regular time for eating supper.
- Those that had late supper, after 8 pm.
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The researchers then gathered data through a dietary assessment questionnaire and compared it with mortality data on each participant.
They found out that those who had their meal at random times had an increased risk of dying from a hemorrhagic stroke; this is when a blood vessel inside the skull bursts and bleeds into the brain. Then the brain cells begin to die in minutes.
“Our study is the first to investigate the association between supper timing and the risk of cardiovascular mortality,” they said.
“In this large population-based prospective cohort study, after adjusting for CVD risk factors, irregular supper timing was associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke mortality compared with early supper consumers.”
However, there was no significant association found between supper timing and the risk of mortality from other types of stroke, such as an ischemic stroke; when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted or reduced.
They also found no evidence to suggest a link between meal timing and heart disease or cardiovascular disease risk.
“We found that adopting an irregular supper timing compared with having dinner before 8:00 pm was associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke mortality.”
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They also found being both overweight and having irregular supper times also raised the risks further.
“In our study, individuals with irregular supper schedules have the highest prevalence of being overweight. Irregular supper timing showed an association with increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke after adjusting for BMI,” they said.
They recommend avoiding higher consumption of food within 2 h before bedtime as it was associated with being overweight or obese and having a regular meal time.