Study: Eating later in the day linked to poor heart health for women

NEW YORK - A new study from the American Heart Association has linked eating later in the day to weight gain and poor heart health for women. 

According to the study, participants who ate a larger proportion of their daily calorie intake after 6 p.m. had poorer heart health and that with every 1% increase in calories consumed after 6 p.m., heart health declined. 

Women who ate more after 6 p.m. were more likely to have higher blood pressure, a higher body mass index and poorer long-term control of their blood sugar. 

Similar findings occurred with every increase in calories consumed after 8 p.m.

"So far, lifestyle approaches to prevent heart disease have focused on what we eat and how much we eat," said lead study author Nour Makarem, Ph.D., an associate research scientist at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. "These preliminary results indicate that intentional eating that is mindful of the timing and proportion of calories in evening meals may represent a simple, modifiable behavior that can help lower heart disease risk."