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| Heart risks from skipping meals |
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Metro, November 2001
Workers who skip meals because they are too busy are at greater risk of developing heart disease.
Frequent eating helps to lower levels of cholesterol, suggesting we should watch not only what we eat, but how often, researchers said yesterday.
Professionals, who regularly miss breakfast, wolf down a big lunch and a large meal at night increase their levels of disease-causing cholesterol - even if they eat healthy foods.
Eating healthy foods in smaller amounts more regularly cuts blood cholesterol as effectively as lowering daily fat intake, according to research published in the British Medical Journal. Prof Kay-Tee Khaw of Cambridge University's Institute of Public Health found the chances of getting coronary heart disease could be lowered by up to 21 per cent by eating regularly.
She asked 14,000 men and women aged 45 to 75 how many times they ate each day, including meals and snacks. The volunteers were then placed in five categories, according to eating frequency and the concentration of their blood fats was measured. Those who ate six or more times a day had cholesterol levels about five per cent lower than those who ate only once or twice.
According to Prof Khaw, this suggests that going without food before gorging on a big meal boosts levels of the hormone insulin, which in turn increases production of the enzymes that turn blood fats into cholesterol.
Eating less food more often helps to lower these insulin peaks, allowing the body to deal with blood fat more effectively. However, it does not mean eating fatty food throughout the day can reduce cholesterol levels. It is still important to stick to a healthy diet.
Prof Khaw said: 'The main thing is a healthy diet but there are other things you can do as well. In terms of cholesterol levels the more often you eat the better. Eating once every three hours appears to be best'. Health-conscious people tucking into only one or two low-fat meals a day would be better off eating the same amount but spreading it throughout the day, she added.
Another study in the British Journal of Cancer found women who skip breakfast are five times more likely to develop cancer of the oesophagus.
Experts said that drinking lots of tea - particularly when piping hot - increased the risk, perhaps because of the burning effect of the liquid as it passes down the throat.
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