Woman who fast for longer hours at night may reduce their risk of breast cancer, according to a new study by University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers.
The report, published in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, found that woman who did not eat overnight had better control over their blood glucose concentrations.
"The dietary advice for cancer prevention usually focuses on limiting consumption of red meat, alcohol and refined grains while increasing plant-based foods," said co-author Ruth Patterson, PhD, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center associate director for population sciences and program leader of the cancer prevention program, in a statement. "New evidence suggests that when and how often people eat can also play a role in cancer risk."
Researchers found that a decrease in the total amount of time spent eating and an increase in the amount of time spent fasting overnight reduces a woman’s glucose levels. Every additional three hours women spent fasting at night was associated with four percent lower postprandial glucose levels, regardless of how much they ate during the day.
Participants in the study reported eating five times a day with a mean fasting time of 12 hours each night. The women that ate less at night also reported eating fewer calories per day and fewer calories after 10 p.m.
Researchers said they recommended large-scale clinical trials to confirm their findings.
The study was co-authored by Loki Natarajan, Dorothy Sears and Sheri Hartman of UC San Diego and Linda Gallo and Elva Arredondo of San Diego State University.
