A study following over 100,000 participants in France suggests that altering meal timings on weekends compared to weekdays, a phenomenon termed 'eating jetlag,' could elevate the risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers found that men with inconsistent eating schedules showed a higher risk, especially those who ate meals earlier on weekend days.
The eight-year study, published in the journal Communications Medicine, analyzed the eating patterns of participants with an average age of 42. Participants were categorized based on their weekend meal schedules relative to their weekday routines: some ate earlier on weekends, some maintained consistent times, and others ate later.
Compared to individuals with regular eating patterns, men in both the earlier and later weekend meal-timing groups exhibited an increased risk of cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease. The strongest associations were observed in men who shifted to earlier mealtimes on weekends. The study indicated that for every hour of timing difference between weekday and weekend meals, there was a 14 percent increase in cardiovascular disease risk and a 21 percent increase in coronary heart disease risk for men.
However, no significant association was found in women, and the study did not identify a link to strokes. The authors proposed that men's generally higher predisposition to cardiovascular disease, alongside potential differences in lifestyle, work patterns, and biological factors between sexes, might explain these gender-specific findings.
"These findings suggest that discrepancies in mealtimes between weekdays and weekends may play a role in the onset of cardiovascular disease," the researchers wrote. "Our findings support the importance of considering meal timing regularity, in addition to meal timing itself, in relation to cardiovascular health."
In the UK, cardiovascular disease, encompassing heart disease and stroke, is responsible for approximately 170,000 deaths annually, accounting for a quarter of all fatalities. Key contributors to cardiovascular disease risk include smoking, poor diet, excess weight, and physical inactivity.