Eating earlier may extend life

Reducing the number of calories you eat and avoiding late night meals can improve your health.

However new research suggests that when you eat during the day is also very important.

A study by researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in the United States found that eating within a set time each day may help people stay healthier as they grow older.

The research was carried out on mice. Scientists gave the animals food only during certain hours and then studied their health over their lifetime.

The researchers found that eating in line with the body’s natural clock can have positive effects on long term health.

They noted that although people are living longer than ever before many still spend more than 10% of their lives dealing with illnesses that become more common with age.

The study also showed that reducing calorie intake may lower the risk of age related diseases including cancer heart disease and brain disorders by as much as 50%.

Eating earlier in the day instead of late at night was also linked to health benefits.  The researchers found that it could reduce the risk of several diseases by up to 35% and improve overall health over time.

The study included 528 healthy mice. During the first eight weeks of their lives they were allowed to eat whenever they wanted.

After that the mice were divided into groups. One group continued eating normally while another group received all of its daily food within a fixed eating window of 2 to 12 hours.

The scientists monitored the animals throughout their lives. Mice that ate all of their food within an 8-hour window lived about 12% longer than the others.

They also had better overall health and a lower risk of obesity and chronic diseases.

The researchers also found that eating within a 12-hour window improved health over time.

Although more studies are needed in humans the researchers suggest that eating all daily meals within 12 hours after breakfast could be a healthy habit.