Eating Late At Night: A Potential Risk Factor For Colorectal Cancer

I was always told not to eat too late before bed; it's bad for you, they say. Well, I have always been prone to doing so, especially in my early radio days when I was too broke to get food at the station and was working an 18-hour day. I would go home, eat, and go straight to bed, but now even experts are warning me not to eat before bed. Recent research suggests another reason to take this advice: eating within three hours of bedtime at least four days a week may increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer. 

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  The Study

A study involving 664 colonoscopy patients found that 42% were late eaters, and this group had a 46% higher likelihood of having an adenoma. I didn't know what this was, so I had to look it up. It's a small, non-cancerous lesion that can become cancerous. So that's a pretty good reason to stop eating so late. Late eaters were also 5.5 times more likely to have three or more tubular adenomas, the most common type of colon polyp, even after accounting for diet. The possible link between late eating and colorectal cancer may involve disrupting the body's peripheral circadian rhythm, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to potential misalignment between the brain and gut. 

  Think about it

Think about this the next time you want to have that late-night snack or just eat and pass out on those long, long workdays.