During the study, participants stayed awake for 32 hours in a dim environment, consuming identical snacks hourly, before being assigned to either daytime or nighttime eating schedules.

A recent study reveals that eating exclusively during daytime hours may help protect shift workers' heart health by reducing cardiovascular risks linked to night shifts.

Professor Frank Scheer noted that circadian misalignment heightens cardiovascular risks, suggesting that the timing of food intake could be a vital factor in mitigating these risks.

Participants followed a controlled 'constant routine protocol' to effectively separate the effects of circadian rhythms from environmental influences.

The study found that individuals who consumed food at night exhibited increased cardiovascular risk factors, while those who ate only during the day maintained stable levels, highlighting the significance of food timing.

Conducted at Brigham and Women’s Center for Clinical Investigation, the study involved 20 healthy young participants who were isolated from natural light and time cues for two weeks.

Researchers assessed various cardiovascular risk factors, including markers of the autonomic nervous system and blood pressure, before and after the simulated night work.

The study's strengths lie in its rigorous control over sleep, eating patterns, and environmental factors, which allowed for clear conclusions regarding the impact of food timing on health.

However, the study's limitations include a small sample size and a short duration, which may not fully capture the chronic effects of nighttime versus daytime eating.

Prior research has established a link between night shift work and significant cardiovascular health risks, emphasizing the importance of addressing circadian misalignment.

Animal studies have indicated that aligning food intake with circadian rhythms could reduce health risks associated with nighttime wakefulness, supporting the findings of this human study.

The findings from this research, conducted by teams from the University of Southampton and Mass General Brigham, were published in the journal Nature Communications.