Some people make a beeline for the Nescafe as soon as they wake up, while others set a more relaxed pace to get themselves going before having their first bite of toast.

While new research out of Europe did not look at what people ate for breakfast, it has found that the time of day at which the first meal of the day is eaten could have an impact on cardiovascular health.

Researchers from France’s Inrae, Inserm and the Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, as well as the Barcelona Institute for Global Health found that the earlier breakfast is eaten, the more beneficial it is for cardiovascular health.

The same is true of dinner, the last meal of the day, which, if eaten late, increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Data from more than 103,000 participants followed between 2009 and 2022 was used for this research. The aim was to determine a potential association between eating habits – in this case mealtimes and cardiovascular disease.

Published in the journal Nature Communications, this work suggests the timing of meals in relation to circadian rhythms may play a role in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, specifically coronary heart disease, hypertension, heart failure, heart valve disease, heart rhythm disorders, and cerebrovascular disease such as stroke.

Specifically, the findings show that eating one’s first meal late in the day is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, with an increase of around 6% per hour of delay.

This may be the consequence of eating breakfast late, as well as skipping breakfast: for example, eating one’s first meal at 9am increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by 6% compared with eating at 8am, and so on.

As for the last meal of the day, eating late – in this case, after 9pm – is associated with a 28% increased risk of cerebrovascular disease, such as stroke, compared with eating before 8pm. According to the researchers, this is particularly true for women.

Another finding is that the longer the duration of nocturnal fasting – that is, the time elapsed between the last meal of the day and the first meal on the next day – the lower the risk of cerebrovascular disease.

“These findings, which need to be replicated in other cohorts and through additional scientific studies with different designs, highlight a potential role for meal timing in preventing cardiovascular disease,” the researchers noted.

One of the leading causes of mortality around the world, cardiovascular disease is responsible for some 18 million deaths every year, according to data from the World Health Organization.