In a new study, researchers found that people who skip breakfast and eat dinner near bedtime have worse health outcomes after a heart attack.
This was the first study to evaluate these unhealthy behaviors in patients with acute coronary syndromes.
The research was conducted by a team from São Paolo State University and elsewhere.
The study enrolled patients with a particularly serious form of heart attack called ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
One in ten patients with STEMI dies within a year, and nutrition is a relatively inexpensive and easy way to improve prognosis.
The team 113 patients with a mean age of 60 and 73% were men.
Patients were asked about eating behaviors on admission to a coronary intensive care unit. Skipping breakfast was defined as nothing before lunch, excluding beverages, such as coffee and water, at least three times per week.
Late-night dinner eating was defined as a meal within two hours before bedtime at least three times per week.
Among the patients, skipping breakfast was observed in 58%, late-night dinner eating in 51%, and both behaviors in 41%.
They found that people with the two eating habits had a four to five times higher likelihood of death, another heart attack, or angina (chest pain) within 30 days after hospital discharge for heart attack.
Previous studies have found that people who miss breakfast and have a late dinner are more likely to have other unhealthy habits such as smoking and low levels of physical activity.
This study shows that the two eating behaviors are independently linked with poorer outcomes after a heart attack, but having a cluster of bad habits will only make things worse.
The team says people who work late may be particularly susceptible to having a late supper and then not being hungry in the morning.
They recommend a minimum of two hour interval between dinner and bedtime.
A good breakfast is usually composed of dairy products (fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese), a carbohydrate (whole wheat bread, bagels, cereals), and whole fruits. It should have 15 to 35% of our total daily calorie intake.
The study is published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
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