Abstaining from food three hours before bedtime could benefit heart health, according to a recent study by Northwestern University. Extending an overnight fast for two hours, dimming the lights, and not eating for three hours prior to sleep were shown to improve cardiovascular and metabolic health among middle-aged and older adults at higher risk for cardiometabolic disease.
Study Findings
The nearly eight-week study, published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, examined 39 overweight and obese participants between 36 and 75 years old, with the intervention group composed of 80% women. Participants completed either an extended overnight fasting intervention of 13 to 16 hours or a “habitual fast” of 11 to 13 hours, with both groups dimming the lights three hours before bedtime.
People who finished eating at least three hours before bed saw “meaningful improvements” compared to those continuing their usual eating routines. Those improvements included a 3.5% drop in blood pressure and a 5% drop in heart rate, as well as a “more natural drop” in both measures during sleep, which is “an important sign of cardiovascular health.” Fasting participants’ hearts also beat faster during active daytime hours and slowed at night during rest—a pattern linked to better heart health. Those who abstained from eating also had better daytime blood sugar control, meaning the pancreas responded “more efficiently” when challenged with glucose.
Expert Perspective
Dr. Daniela Grimaldi, research associate professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, noted that “timing our fasting window to work with the body’s natural wake-sleep rhythms can improve the coordination between the heart, metabolism and sleep.” The three-hour pre-sleep fasting window is “critical,” she explained, because that is when melatonin rises and the body transitions toward sleep, “a period when eating disrupts metabolism.” The study achieved a high adherence rate of nearly 90%, according to sleep expert Dr. Wendy Troxel of the RAND Corporation, suggesting the approach “may be both feasible and sustainable in real life.” Future studies will expand to larger, multi-center trials to determine whether benefits persist or translate into reduced cardiovascular events or diabetes.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.foxnews.com/health/change-nightly-eating-habits-may-help-protect-your-heart-study-suggests