Eating Dinner at 7 PM Every Night May Help You Live Longer, Suggests New Study 

By: Pune Pulse

November 20, 2023

Pune: Exercise, sleep patterns and food habits are just a few examples of the well-established lifestyle choices that have an impact on health and longevity.

As per information from a study, there is an interesting relationship between eating dinner early and possibly living a longer life.

The study focuses on L’Aquila, a province in Abruzzo, Italy, which is well-known for having a large number of centenarians (those who live to be 100 years old) and nonagenarians (those who are 90 to 99 years old). The study, which looked at 68 individuals from this area, provides insight into their eating habits, especially when they eat dinner.

How is early dinner linked to longer life?

Remarkably, most of the centenarians and nonagenarians in L’Aquila finished their dinners early, usually at 7:13 p.m.

After more investigation, the researchers discovered a unique dietary pattern: a strict calorie restriction. These individuals continued to consume few calories for a considerable amount of time—17.5 hours from supper to lunch the next day.

· Better Sleep – The first advantage of eating dinner early is that your sleep will be much better. Our last meal and bedtime are separated by two to three hours, so the primary digestion has already been completed and the digestive system won’t have to work as hard while we sleep. The digestive system thus receives much-needed rest. Additionally, this technique lessens oversleeping. The body’s systems require less time to recover and function more effectively because they operate less and get the necessary rest.

· Loss in Weight – Dining early speeds up the metabolism and lessens weight loss. Intermittent fasting is inevitably the result of this practice. Instead of using fed glucose to meet energy needs, the body uses stored body fat during fasting. As a result, metabolism is increased, improving weight control. People with diabetes have also reported benefits from it. Intermittent fasting has been demonstrated to provide numerous benefits, including enhanced cellular regeneration and repair and a more robust immune system.

· Improvement in Appetite – You promise not to miss breakfast, which is the most significant meal of the day. Additionally, you develop a more balanced appetite overall. The ancient saying advises eating breakfast like a king, lunch like a commoner, and dinner like a pauper. This is a great piece of advice for maintaining a healthy diet.

· Less risk of heart attack, diabetes & cancer – One of the most important benefits of eating dinner early is lowering the chance of having a heart attack. Eating three hours before going to bed considerably reduces the risk of a heart attack. Our blood pressure typically drops by almost 10% while we sleep, allowing our bodies to relax. It starts to rise in the morning before we wake up. Every day, this pattern recurs. Eating dinner earlier than bed disrupts this pattern and raises blood pressure. An increase in blood pressure increases the risk of a heart attack.

When our bodies do not use insulin as they should, diabetes may result. Our bodies use insulin appropriately when we eat two to three hours before going to bed because it turns food into glucose. Therefore, preserving appropriate insulin levels lowers the chance of developing diabetes. The risk of type 2 diabetes can be decreased by eating dinner early.

Individuals who eat dinner right before bed have a 15% increased risk of developing breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. That means that simply eating dinner earlier can cut your risk of cancer by 15%.

Further, the participants of the survey had a diet high in fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. However, they continued to consume relatively little in the way of meat, processed meat, eggs, and sweets.

This ‘plant-forward’ strategy fits with trends that are frequently linked to improved health and longevity.

In addition to their food preferences, the centenarians and nonagenarians of L’Aquila led an active lifestyle by personally caring for their land.

Together with their unique food preferences, their physical activity levels add to our understanding of the lifestyle factors that affect longevity.

Hence, eating dinner early and following particular dietary guidelines may help to lengthen life.

Shreyas Vange