Meal Time Affects Heart Health, IPB University’s FK Lecturer Suggests This

Meal timing has been found to play an important role in maintaining heart health. Recent scientific studies have shown that aligning meal times with the body’s natural rhythm or biological clock can help lower the risk of heart disease.

Lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine (FK) IPB University, dr Agil Wahyu Wicaksono MBiomed, explained that eating too late at night or during the body’s rest period is associated with an increased risk of obesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and other metabolic disorders. These habits may contribute to cardiovascular disease.

“On the other hand, eating early, especially a healthy breakfast in the morning and dinner before 8 pm, has been shown to improve metabolic processes, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels,” he said.

He added that a large NutriNet-Santé study found that people who ate their first meal after 9 am and their last after 9 pm had a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. Meanwhile, extending the duration of “fasting” at night has also been shown to reduce the risk of stroke.

Getting into the habit of eating breakfast also provides heart health benefits. A systematic review involving nearly 200.000 people from the US and Japan showed that skipping breakfast increased the risk of heart disease by up to 21 percent and overall mortality by 32 percent.

“Skipping breakfast can lead to weight gain, blood pressure disorders, and metabolic problems that trigger heart disease. Inconsistent eating time, especially if it disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm, can also worsen overall metabolic conditions,” he emphasized.

The American Heart Association states that eating too close to bedtime (less than two hours before) increases the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Experimental studies also reveal that consuming large amounts of calories in the morning is healthier than eating large meals in the evening.

“This pattern improves insulin sensitivity, lowers blood sugar and triglyceride levels, and reduce inflammation. In fact, limiting meals to meals to 6 pm can help reduce body weight and biomarkers of inflammation in the body,” explained by dr Agil.

For night workers or those with disrupted sleep, the study showed that not eating a heavy meal while staying up late can prevent an increase in blood pressure, stress on heart’s nervous system, and the risk of blood clots.

This fact confirms that eating at times that match the body’s natural rhythms provides protection against heart damage, even for those with irregular sleep and activity patterns.

“Dietary strategies such as early time-restricted eating (eTRE) and intermittent fasting methods such as alternate-day fasting (ADF) have also been shown to be beneficial for weight loss, lower blood pressure, and improve blood fat levels,” he said.

Overall, scientific evidence confirms that mealtime is as important as the type of food consumed in maintaining heart health. Adjusting meal times to align with the body’s natural rhythm is a simple yet effective step in preventing and managing cardiovascular disease. (AS) (IAAS/ANF)