Late Dinner and Skipping Breakfast is a Deadly Combination

By Neucrad Health India May 3, 2019

Do you have a habit of eating dinner close to bedtime? Do you tend to avoid breakfast in the morning due to waking up late or busy morning schedule? If these are related to you, then it is high time that you change these eating habits as there is a higher risk of you developing cardiac ailments.

According to a recent finding of the European Journal of Preventive
Cardiology, the risk of suffering another chance of a coronary attack, angina, or even death increases four to five-fold within 30 days after hospital discharge when you are already a cardiac patient. A team of Scientists from São Paolo State University in Brazil conducted this
study to find out the unhealthy behaviours among patients who have already experienced a severe form of coronary attack known as ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). They took the data from the patients who got admitted in the intensive care unit with acute coronary syndromes.

Unhealthy Eating Habits Among Heart Patients Research scholars were surprised to find out that about 58 per cent of the patients admitted
at the coronary intensive care unit skipped their breakfast, 51 per cent of the patients had late dinner, and about 41 per cent of these patients practised both unhealthy eating habits. They tend to skip their breakfast due to waking up late or not finding anything to eat before lunch for at least three times a week. In most of the cases, they only had beverages like tea
or coffee in the morning. The late diners had the meal within two hours of bedtime for around three times a week.

How to incorporate healthy eating habits?

Dr. Marcos Minicucci, a member of the research team and associate of São Paolo State University, Brazil, recommended at least a two-hour gap between the last meal of the day and sleeping time to improve their heart health. He pointed out that one out of ten patients with STEMI died within a year due to unhealthy lifestyles which could easily be prevented. Dr. Marcos Minicucci also advocated the significance of healthy breakfast in keeping diseases at bay. It is good to have whole-cereals like whole-wheat bread, brown bread sandwich, and oats, low-fat dairy products like yoghurt, cheese, and curd, fresh fruits like apple, mango, banana, and berries for breakfast. Ideally, our breakfast should constitute about 15 to 35 per cent of the total calorie intake in the entire day.

What other changes in Can lifestyle improve your heart health?

Along with the changes in eating habits experts recommend some other changes in lifestyle including keeping stress to a minimum, living an active life, and quit smoking to improve the cardiac health significantly. Regular thirty minutes workout for five days a week can do wonders to your body. Within a few months you would experience more energy and concentration in your work, better stability and balance in your body, reduction in weight, and burning of lipid layers from unwanted areas. You can either take a membership of a gym and appoint a personal trainer to guide you in toning and reshaping your body. Otherwise, opt for safe cardio exercises like fast walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming. For this, you do not need to be a member of any health club; start practising these exercises
every morning as it is the best time to burn the extra calories.

Another primary culprit of the cardiac disorder is stress. There is hardly any individual in modern society who has not fallen prey to tension or anxiety. However, breathing exercises like yoga and meditation can help to keep the stress under control. Smoking is also very harmful to heart; quit it as early as possible. Several compounds present in cigarettes like nicotine, arsenic, benzene, nickel, lead, and cadmium are group 1 carcinogen. Studies have found them associated with lung, stomach, and other respiratory organ cancers. Staying away from active and passive smoking is beneficial for the heart.

So, this was, in brief, the adverse effect of late dinner and skipping breakfast and some ways of improving cardiac health. You may practise them to lead a healthy and active life.