Eating this category of food for dinner could put your heart health at risk

Is it time to start thinking about changing your dinner habits? A new study claims that some of the foods that are typically consumed at dinnertime could have a negative impact on your heart.

The study, published in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, found that an increase in the consumption of branch chain amino acids — often found in many proteins — could result in bad news for cardiovascular health.

Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham said that consuming branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) at dinner resulted in a 75% increase in cardiomyocyte size in just four hours, while consuming BCAAs also contributed to worsened heart disease progression.

For those wondering what foods have BCAAs, they are often found in many sources of protein, such as red meat, poultry, fish, eggs and nuts.

“Our study is the first to show such a dramatic growth of mammalian heart cells following a single meal,” said Martin Young, a professor at UAB. “This study highlights an interaction between heart health and behaviors, and in this case, the behavior being what time of the day we should be eating certain nutrients.”

Young said that heart cells did return back to normal size throughout the rest of the day following the increase, but the news could serve as a warning for people with health problems like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

What about breakfast?

What’s interesting about the findings is it only pertains to dinner; researchers said a high-BCAA meal at breakfast time had no detrimental effect, which means things like eggs and meat being consumed earlier in the day could prove wonders.

“Population-based studies are already emerging that suggest we should be eating more protein at breakfast and less at dinner, and now our basic science study is confirming this concept,” Young said. “Based on our research, we would recommend that heart disease patients restrict the amount of protein, and in particular the amount of BCAAs, that they consume at dinner.”

The link to proteins and heart health isn’t exactly new. There’s been a ton of research suggesting that certain meats — especially processed meat — can potentially be harmful to one’s health. In addition, a poor work-life balance can also lead to cardiovascular disease due to stress.

In short: eggs in the morning are better than later in the day.