New Study Suggests Earlier Breakfast and Dinner May Decrease Heart Disease Risk

A recent study suggests that the timing of your dinner could influence your risk of heart disease.

The research, disclosed in Nature Communications, indicates that having breakfast post 9 a.m. and dinner after 9 p.m. comes with an elevated risk of cardiovascular issues, most distinctly in women.

This initial research of its kind has potentially linked the timing of meals to heart health, as stated by Bernard Srour, PharmD, PhD, MPH, one of the authors of the study.

He revealed that previous research has insinuated connections between omitting breakfast and unfavorable metabolic health. However, correlations between meal timings and cardiovascular diseases remain mostly unknown.

The researchers, including Srour, endeavored to evaluate whether the timing of consumption— not just the food consumed— might significantly affect cardiac health. This could pave the way for new preventative measures. 

The researchers examined data from over 103,000 adults, predominantly women, participating in the NutriNet-Santé study which has been monitoring participants' health habits since 2009.

An average of 5.7 days of subjects’ 24-hour dietary patterns were studied over a median of 7.2 years. Any additional hour of delay in having the first meal of the day corresponded to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

The same correlation held true for delays in the last meal of the day. For example, people who had their last meal after 9:00 p.m. were associated with a 28% increased risk of cerebrovascular disease compared to those who ate before 8:00 p.m.

The timing of your meals can influence heart health and it is also essential for maintaining a balanced diet for cardiovascular health.

Srour believes the relationship between meal timings and heart health probably stems from how eating interacts with the circadian rhythm.

“The biological clocks influenced by meal timings can regulate various circadian functions, such as blood pressure, metabolism, and hormonal secretion,” he stated.

All these factors significantly affect heart health. For instance, our natural circadian rhythm largely affects the body's insulin sensitivity, that is, how efficiently our body can process sugar from food. Earlier studies showed that the body is more receptive to insulin in the morning than at night.

When insulin sensitivity decreases, leading to insulin resistance, it could trigger cardiometabolic disorders such as inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and high blood pressure. All of these augment the risk of heart disease.

Delaying breakfast could result in poorer insulin uptake and consequently, increase heart health risks. Additionally, eating later at night, when melatonin (the sleep hormone) is at its peak, could hamper efficient food metabolism, according to Srour.

A 2020 study revealed that eating later at night could lead to weight gain and hinder fat metabolism, compared to eating earlier in the evening. Given the strong link between obesity and heart disease, it's not surprising that this factor could heighten the risk of heart ailments.

Though the new study found a substantial link between heart health and meal timings, it's crucial to note that the findings indicate correlation, not necessarily causation.

Certain complicating factors could have also affected the study’s outcome. Subjects who dined later at night were more likely to smoke, consume more alcohol, indulge in binge drinking and have later bedtimes.

These traits could have contibuted to their higher risk of heart disease, not just their late-night eating patterns.

While there is no universally perfect approach to meal times, Srour's research suggests that certain schedules might be more conducive to heart health than others.

“According to our study, it could be beneficial to have breakfast early in the morning and dinner early in the evening to ensure an adequate duration of nighttime fasting," he remarked.

However, he clarified that while this could be beneficial for heart health, additional research is needed to validate the impact on cardiovascular health.

It's also crucial to maintain consistent meal timings, according to Tayal.

“Skipping meals, especially breakfast, is not recommended as it could lead to weight gain,” he emphasized.

He further stated that late-night eating has been linked with increased obesity rates, which could, in turn, enhance the likelihood of heart disease.

“Our metabolism is low late in the evening because of increased melatonin levels,” he explained. “The ideal time for eating, in my opinion, is an early breakfast (depending on when you wake up) and evening meal usually at least three hours before bedtime.”

Besides tweaking the timing of your meals, for heart health, it’s smart to focus on the contents of your plate.

Tayal recommends a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish (such as the Mediterranean or DASH diet) is best to support cardiovascular health.

“Avoiding food containing high sodium and reducing alcohol intake is also very important,” he added.

The American Heart Association’s recommendations for a heart-healthy diet run along similar lines, emphasizing minimally processed foods, limited sugars, low-fat dairy, whole grains, healthy proteins, and plenty of fruits and veggies.

Even if the occasional delayed breakfast or late-night dinner slips into your schedule, sticking mostly to these foods will go a long way toward protecting your cardiovascular health.