Hello and

I'm your host Monica Reinagel

today I want to share some thoughts on a new statement from the American Heart Association

that may have you rethinking what time you sit down to dinner.

Last month, the American Heart Association released a new scientific statement that seemed to suggest that eating later in the day is bad for your heart.

At least that was the take-home message that made the rounds on the evening news and the morning shows.

The actual statement was a bit more cautious. It said, quote,

allocating more calories earlier in the day

might help reduce cardiovascular disease risk,

end quote.

But then that was immediately followed

by the following disclaimer,

quote,

large studies tracking patients'

cardiovascular health over a long period

are needed to show how meal timing and patterns

impact disease risk, end quote. In other words, this is still very much an unanswered question.

Now, if you are someone who finishes dinner by 6 PM every night and does not eat again until breakfast, I bet you're feeling pretty

smug right now. Then again, you belong to a pretty small tribe. Most American households, including mine, eat dinner after 6 p.m. and their European counterparts

tend to eat even later. Not only that, but about half of adults, including this one,

admit to snacking between dinner and bedtime.

So the question is, do we need to change our behavior in response to this latest research?

...