Eat dinner before 9 pm to lower risk of breast and prostate cancer

Health News: Having your last meal before 9 pm or at least two hours before going to bed could lower the risk of breast and prostate cancer, suggests a new study.

Compared to those who have supper after 10 pm or those who go to bed right after meal, people who take their evening meal before 9 pm or wait at least two hours before going to sleep have approximately 20 per cent lower risk of those types of cancers, the findings showed.

"Our study concludes that adherence to diurnal eating patterns is associated with a lower risk of cancer," said lead author Manolis Kogevinas from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain.

"The findings highlight the importance of assessing circadian rhythms in studies on diet and cancer," Kogevinas added.

For the study, published in International Journal of Cancer, the team analysed data from 621 cases of prostate cancer and 1,205 cases of breast cancer, as well as 872 male and 1,321 female controls.

The participants, were interviewed about their meal timing, sleep habits and chronotype -- an individual attribute correlating with preference for morning or evening activity.

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