When to eat breakfast & dinner ?

 

 

 

Circadian rhythms(Latin circa, meaning "around", &  dies, meaning "day") are the cycles that tell the body when to sleep, wake, & eat—in predictable patterns each day( over ~24 hours ) . The internal master  clock(the hypothalamus-located  inside the brain ) which controls these cycles  is influenced by external cues, like sunlight & temperature. This is most evident in sleep, when after sunset melatonin ( sleep hormone ) production increases & makes us feel sleepy at night  .Many of you would have experienced jet lag( circadian dysrhythmia)  because of the disruption of these circadian rhythms.

Similarly , the food we eat is also governed by the circadian rhythm. Research points  out that body processes the same  food differently when eaten at   different times. The study of this is called Chrono-nutrition. Its not just what we eat but when is also important. Even good foods eaten at wrong time tend to  have negative impact on the body .

In this particular study( done in France on theNutriNet-Santé cohort)  , the researchers have analysed the eating patterns , exercise level, drinking ,smoking  etc in a large group( ~1 lac) of normal people (without any existing cardiovascular disease)  & have followed them over an average of 7 years to see how how the timing of eating   affected the chance of future diabetes & cardiovascular event( heart attack, stroke )  .

They  observed that people who eat breakfast after 9 a.m. show an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 59% compared to people who eat breakfast before 8 a.m.The research team also found that participants habitually having a late dinner (after 10 pm) had a higher risk of Diabetes . They also found out that  having a later first meal (later than 9AM compared to earlier than 8AM) &  last meal of the day (later than 9PM compared to earlier than 8PM) was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, especially among women.Based on this  study the researchers recommend eating  early breakfast & early dinner for better health .

Before the invention of electric bulb , people  used to synchronize with  nature- waking with sunrise & sleeping with sunset .All activities including eat/work /play/ were when there was sunlight & sleep when no sunlight  & people had less metabolic diseases  .Now with extensive  artificial lighting , processed foods & abnormal working hours , there is too  much disruption of the natural patterns which is increasing the incidence of the various lifestyle diseases.. So being in sync with natural cycles will reduce this burden .All of us  are used to eat traditionally three times ,the dinner being   late & heavy.So lets adopt a simple habit of eating early & light .

Bottom line:
Eat breakfast before 8 am & dinner before 8 pm to better digest , better sleep & be  fitter .