Eating regularly after 9 p.m. can have long-term health consequences, according to a study.
If eating late is part of your lifestyle, make sure you don’t go to bed too quickly after this last meal of the day. A study conducted by scientists from the Institute of Global Health in Barcelona demonstrates the link between meals eaten too late at night and the possibility of developing a cancer.
A risk in case of dinner too late
It was therefore researchers from the Barcelona Institute of Global Health who carried out this research published in l’International Journal of Cancer. The latter closely studied the eating habits of more than 4,000 people, including 2,193 without cancer, 621 with prostate cancer and 1,205 with breast cancer.
The mealtimes of these people were particularly scrutinized. It shows that people who eat late at night and especially, who do not wait long enough to go to bed after this last meal are at risk.
25% increased risk of cancer
Indeed, according to this study, people who do not wait at least two hours to go to bed after having dinner have a 25% increased risk of developing cancer. Those who wait these two hours, on the other hand, have a 20% lower risk of developing cancer.
Internal clock out of order
According to scientists, this is explained above all by what they call the “circadian rhythm”, more commonly known as the internal clock. Indeed, in the evening, the metabolism slows down to prepare for bedtime. But the fact of eating too late again solicits it at full speed, which would be the cause of this increase in the risk of cancer. The two-hour delay between dinner and bedtime would allow the metabolism to slow down again.
If this study was carried out by scientists from Barcelona, it is no coincidence. In Spain, people tend to dine late at night. If the results of this work were to be confirmed, they could lead to profound changes in public health recommendations in terms offeed in the evening. The stakes are crucial when we know that inequality in access to healthcare forces some cancer patients to give up regular care.