Eating late at night, which leads to disruption of the circadian rhythm, may increase the risk of cancer at various sites

In November 2018 researchers from France published the results of their study to assess the association between number of eating episodes, night-time fasting duration, time of first and last eating episodes, nutritional quality of last eating episode and risk of breast and prostate cancer. 41,389 individuals who worked during the day and who had completed at least three 24-hour food diaries were included in their study. During the period of follow-up, 1,732 diagnoses of cancer for the first time were made, which included 428 breast and 179 prostate cancers. Results showed that late eaters (last eating episode after 9:30 pm) had an increased risk of breast and prostate cancers. However, no association was observed between cancer risk and number of eating episodes, night-time fasting duration, time of first eating episode or nutritional quality of the last eating episode.

Srour B et al. Circadian nutritional behaviours and cancer risk: New insights from the NutriNet-santé prospective cohort study: Disclaimers. Int J Cancer. 2018 Nov 15;143(10):2369-2379

Leave a Reply