You know all those folks who like to poke fun at seniors taking advantage of Early Bird Specials? Well, it turns out wise seniors are the ones getting the last laugh because researchers say eating an earlier supper is excellent for your health.
In fact, eating an early dinner—and avoiding any additional late-night grazing—could help slash your risk for breast cancer, as well as make you less likely to suffer from a heart attack or stroke.
Here’s what you need to know…
Keep cancer at bay:
A study done at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine revealed nighttime snackers could be unknowingly raising their breast cancer risk. According to researchers eating your last meal of the day earlier could significantly slash your risk.
For every three hours of nighttime fasting, women were found to be 20 percent less likely to suffer from high blood sugar, a well-known risk factor for both breast cancer and diabetes, according to the study published in the journal Cancer, Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.1
In another study, researchers reported that women who’ve already had breast cancer can benefit from a longer nighttime fast too. Ladies who spend at least 13 hours fasting between breakfast and dinner were 36 percent less likely to have their cancer return.2
To take advantage of this cancer-dodging loophole—and gain better control over your blood sugar while you’re at it—try to eat dinner by 7 PM. Then don’t eat again until after 7 AM the following morning.3
Dodge a heart attack:
In a study presented at the European Society of Cardiology in Rome, researchers had a bit of advice for folks who are concerned about their heart attack and stroke risk.4 They recommended eating before 7 PM at night.
According to the study, eating earlier helps to ensure your blood pressure drops to a healthy level before bed and stays there overnight. This keeps your heart healthy, reducing your risk of suffering from a heart attack.
In fact, it turns out when you eat is more important than what you eat. For example, researchers found that eating late at night was even worse for your blood pressure than eating a meal with a ton of salt in it. And eating less than two hours before bedtime—regardless of what is eaten—was shown to keep blood pressure elevated, doubling your risk for a heart attack.
In other words, when you take advantage of Early Bird Specials you aren’t just getting better deals on your meals. You’re likely to live longer and healthier too!
References:
1. “Prolonged Nightly Fasting and Breast Cancer Risk: Findings from NHANES (2009-2010,” Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2015 May; 24(5): 783–789
2. “Prolonged Nightly Fasting and Breast Cancer Prognosis,” JAMA Oncol. 2016;2(8):1049-1055
3. “Intermittent fasting in breast cancer risk and survivorship: Insight from the women’s healthy eating and living study,” Cancer Research, February 2016, Volume 76, Issue 4 Supplement
4. European Society of Cardiology Congress, August 2016, Barcelona, Spain
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