
It’s exciting to see research looking into how food interacts with illness.
After all, it’s been a long time coming. Centuries, even!
Of course, you already know how I feel about our toxic food supply.
So, going through the minutiae of poor dietary choices is rather dreary… and unnecessary for today’s discussion.
Instead, let’s look at WHEN you should be eating—and if the timing of your meals influences disease risk.
The polyp connection
Has anyone ever told you not to eat three hours before bedtime?
Well, before you chalk it up to being an old wives’ tale, consider this…
Recent research reveals that eating that late at least four days out of any given week could increase your colorectal cancer risk.
Researchers surveyed 664 patients—who were getting a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer—about their eating habits. Turns out, 42 percent of them were late-night eaters.
And compared to non-late eaters, the late indulgers were 5.5 times more likely to have three or more tubular adenomas (the most common polyp found in the colon).
While a polyp itself isn’t cancer, it’s estimated that 5 to 10 percent of them could become cancerous.
So, if adjusting your meal times could lessen your likelihood of developing them, isn’t that something worth considering?
A peek into your peripheral circadian rhythm
Perhaps this finding shouldn’t come as a big surprise. Our gut is so much more important to our health than we often credit it for.
But let’s explore why meal timing could influence disease risk…
Researchers believe it could boil down to throwing off your body’s circadian rhythm. But we’re not just talking about your sleep-wake cycle—or throwing off your body’s cues for when to release melatonin (the sleep hormone).
Rather, the concern is the peripheral circadian rhythm, part of which is found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In other words, if you’re eating late at night, your brain could still recognize it’s nighttime… but your gut will think it’s daytime.
Pretty interesting, huh?
Not to mention, many of the organisms in the gut have their own internal clocks that also follow a daily rhythm. Here again, what we eat influences how many different kinds of organisms are active—but so does when you eat!
And, let’s face it, many aren’t making the healthiest food choices when they indulge in the late hours. So, not only are you disturbing the biorhythm of the friendly bugs in your gut that are working to keep you healthy (and alive!), but your late eating habit could lead to unwanted weight gain down the road.
Bottom line? Do yourself and your gut microbiome a favor: Make preparing a healthy meal a priority… and do it well before bedtime.
I personally don’t like to eat after 6 p.m., but a good, general rule of thumb is to stop eating at least three hours before bedtime.
Source:
“Late-Night Eaters May Have Increased Risk for Colorectal Cancer.” Medscape, 05/24/2024. (medscape.com/s/viewarticle/late-night-eaters-may-have-increased-risk-colorectal-cancer-2024a10009u0)