Stroke warning as study finds time you eat your meals could risk increase risk

The risk of certain types of stroke could be increased if you are eating your evening meal at irregular times, according to a recent study.

The study examined the associations between supper timing and the risks of mortality from cardiovascular conditions including haemorrhagic stroke.

It involved 28,625 males and 43,213 females free from CVD and cancers, aged 40 to 79, and was published in Nutrients, a peer-reviewed open access journal.

The participants in the study were categorised into three groups: an early supper group who ate before 8pm, a late supper group who ate after 8pm, and a third group who ate supper at irregular times.

The findings showed that those who ate at an irregular time had an increased risk of haemorrhagic stroke mortality, the Mirror reports.

Positive associations were also found between irregular supper timing and the risk of total stroke, and total CVD mortality among subjects with a body mass index (BMI) of 23-24.9.

There was no evidence to suggest a link between meal timing and coronary heart disease or cardiovascular diseases risk, as well as no significant association between meal times and other types of stroke such as ischaemic strokes.

The researchers said: "We found that adopting an irregular supper timing compared with having dinner before 8:00 pm was associated with an increased risk of haemorrhagic stroke mortality."

"To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to investigate the association between supper timing and the risk of cardiovascular mortality.

"In this large population-based prospective cohort study, after adjusting for CVD risk factors, irregular supper timing was associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke mortality compared with early supper consumers."

Haemorrhagic stroke risks

A haemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel inside the skull bursts and bleeds into and around the brain. (Getty)

According to the NHS, the main cause of haemorrhagic stroke is high blood pressure, which could weaken the arteries in the brain and make them more likely to split or rupture.

Things that increase the risk of high blood pressure include:

• Being overweight
• Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
• Smoking
• A lack of exercise
• Stress.

The NHS says that: "Haemorrhagic strokes can also be caused by the rupture of a balloon-like expansion of a blood vessel (brain aneurysm) or abnormally formed blood vessels in the brain."

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