New research has found that fasting for less than 13 hours between dinner and breakfast is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer recurring.
This means that a woman who eats breakfast at 7am should finish dinner no later than 6pm to minimise her risk of the disease coming back.
The study, published in JAMA Oncology, examined data from 2,400 women with early-stage breast cancer.
It found that those who fasted for less than 13 hours overnight were 36 per cent more likely to see their cancer return, compared with those who fasted for more than 13 hours.
“Prolonging the length of the nightly fasting interval may be a simple, non-pharmacologic strategy for reducing the risk of breast cancer recurrence,” study leader Ruth Patterson of the University of California in San Diego said.
“One reason we feel positive about this as a potential dietary behaviour is how simple it is. It’s easier than saying reduce your calorie intake by 500 a day, which requires changes in how you shop, where you eat out, and can be very burdensome.”
