Does Dinner Determine Lifespan? Can Skipping Dinner Really Help You Lose Weight and Lower Cholesterol? Here's the Truth! - green tea for brighter skin

Does Dinner Determine Lifespan? Can Skipping Dinner Really Help You Lose Weight and Lower Cholesterol? Here's the Truth!Dinner determines lifespan? The less you eat, the longer you live? Skipping dinner can help you lose weight and lower cholesterol? These seemingly true statements, how much scientific evidence do they have? Nowadays, all kinds of bizarre weight loss methods are emerging, and "eating nothing after noon" has become the "weight loss bible" for many. However, is this really the case? In our pursuit of so-called health and beauty, have we gone astray? Today, let's unveil the truth about "skipping dinner" and see whether it's a "health treasure" or a "chronic killer

Does Dinner Determine Lifespan? Can Skipping Dinner Really Help You Lose Weight and Lower Cholesterol? Here's the Truth!

Dinner determines lifespan? The less you eat, the longer you live? Skipping dinner can help you lose weight and lower cholesterol? These seemingly true statements, how much scientific evidence do they have? Nowadays, all kinds of bizarre weight loss methods are emerging, and "eating nothing after noon" has become the "weight loss bible" for many. However, is this really the case? In our pursuit of so-called health and beauty, have we gone astray? Today, let's unveil the truth about "skipping dinner" and see whether it's a "health treasure" or a "chronic killer."

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1. Does Dinner Determine Lifespan? The Less You Eat, the Longer You Live?

• In recent years, many studies have shown that dietary patterns that restrict calorie intake can slow down aging and reduce the risk of age-related diseases. For example, a study published in Nature Communications indicates that calorie restriction is crucial for lifespan extension and brain protection in fruit flies. Researchers found that the expression level of a gene called OXR1 in fruit flies declines with age, while intermittent calorie restriction can enhance the expression level of the OXR1 gene, thereby promoting its protective effect.

Another recent study published in a Nature sub-journal also indicates that dietary restriction can slow down aging, but the specific mechanism remains unclear. Researchers found that under dietary restriction, OXR1 can maintain the activity of reverse transcriptase, thereby delaying brain aging.

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These research findings provide scientific evidence for the benefits of restricted diets, but it must be emphasized that these studies were mostly conducted on animals, and whether their conclusions apply to humans still needs further investigation.

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2. Human Dinner: How Much is Considered Adequate?

While restricted diets have shown the effect of delaying aging in animals, excessive restriction could lead to negative effects for humans.

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1. Insufficient Nutrient Intake: Excessive dietary restriction can lead to insufficient nutrient intake for the body, affecting physical health. For example, insufficient protein intake can lead to muscle loss, affecting bodily functions; insufficient intake of vitamins and minerals can lead to weakened immunity, making individuals more susceptible to diseases.

2. Bone Density Decline: Long-term dietary restriction can lead to insufficient calcium intake, affecting bone health and increasing the risk of osteoporosis.

3. Decreased Immune Function: Long-term dietary restriction can lead to a decline in immune system function, making individuals more easily susceptible to infections.

4. Psychological Problems: Long-term dietary restriction can lead to mood swings, irritability, anxiety, and other psychological issues.

Therefore, for humans, dietary restriction should be moderate and adjusted according to individual circumstances. Everyone's basal metabolic rate, physical activity level, and health condition are different, so blind following should be avoided.

3. Is It Really Good to Skip Dinner Long-Term?

Many people believe that skipping dinner can help with weight loss, but is this approach truly feasible? A research team from Southern Medical University conducted a year-long tracking experiment on 139 obese individuals, and the results revealed:

1. Difficulty in Adherence: The pattern of skipping dinner is difficult to maintain, and even with professional guidance and supervision throughout the process, 15% of the subjects dropped out halfway. In everyday life, the success rate of independently sticking to skipping dinner will be even lower.

2. Ineffective Results: The study found that skipping dinner and eating moderately and evenly did not have much difference in weight loss effectiveness.

3. Potential Risks: For some individuals with poor sugar metabolism, skipping dinner actually leads to worse weight loss results and is more likely to negatively impact health.

4. The Dangers of Skipping Dinner: Beware of Chronic "Suicide"

Skipping dinner for long periods can have a multi-faceted impact on the body and even increase the risk of developing chronic diseases.

1. Disordered Gastrointestinal Function: After eating, the digestive system speeds up its peristalsis to promote food digestion. Skipping dinner will keep the body in a state of prolonged fasting, unable to provide regular stimulation for gastric acid, bile, and other digestive juices, which can easily lead to gastritis, peptic ulcers, and other diseases.

Moreover, our gastrointestinal tract is a rhythmic organ. Skipping dinner will make the brain feel hungry, and this stress response can stimulate the digestive system, leading to disruptions in the digestive rhythm, making it unable to sense when to empty, thereby causing constipation, diarrhea, and other symptoms.

2. Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Studies have shown that individuals who skip dinner or eat irregularly have a higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease mortality.

3. Sleep Quality Decline: Work and study during the day will consume a lot of physical energy. Skipping dinner can leave individuals feeling hungry and cause sleep quality to decline, even leading to insomnia.

4. Mood Swings: Skipping dinner will keep the body in a state of prolonged fasting, and blood sugar will also drop. At this time, the body will release cortisol to regulate blood sugar and also generate stress responses, making individuals feel depressed, tired, and more prone to irritability and emotional instability.

5. How to Eat Dinner Healthily?

Dinner should be eaten, but it should also be eaten correctly. Many people are still making the following mistakes when eating dinner.

1. No Main Course: A study published in The Lancet Public Health based on a 25-year follow-up of 430,000 individuals revealed that the lowest mortality risk was observed when carbohydrate intake accounted for about 50% of total energy intake. Intake below 40% or above 70% increased mortality risk and shortened life expectancy. Therefore, eating carbohydrates moderately for dinner is very important for health.

2. Eating Too Late: Eating dinner too late significantly increases the risk of obesity because the body's activity level will significantly decrease during sleep, and digestion efficiency will also decline. Food staying in the intestines for a long time will increase the absorption of lipids and sugars, ultimately leading to body fat.

3. Eating Too Much: Many people like to reward themselves with large amounts of high-protein, high-fat foods at dinner, but doing so will burden the digestive system. Coupled with less activity at night, excessive nutrient intake will accumulate in the body, increasing the risk of body fat and developing various diseases, including colorectal cancer.

4. Eating Too Spicy, Sweet, or Sticky: Spicy food can cause a burning sensation in the gastrointestinal tract, not only affecting sleep but also easily leading to gastroesophageal reflux, constipation, and other problems. Sweet food will burden the gastrointestinal tract, and excess sugar is easily converted into fat in the body, leading to obesity. Sticky food can make gastrointestinal digestive activity abnormally, increasing the occurrence rate of acute and chronic gastritis.

6. Conclusion:

Three meals a day are essential for health, and none of them can be skipped. Dinner is an important meal for replenishing energy and repairing the body. A reasonable dinner can improve sleep quality, promote digestion and absorption, enhance immunity, and thereby improve quality of life. Therefore, we should abandon bad eating habits, choose healthy and reasonable dinners, and let dinner become a guarantee for our health.

References:

• 1. Nature Sub-journal | The Less You Eat, the Longer You Live, New Research Reveals Why Dietary Restriction Slows Brain Aging and Extends Lifespan. iNature 2024-01-13

• 2. What Happens After a Year of Skipping Dinner? Southern Medical University Conducts a Real-person Experiment. Life Times 2022-05-29

• 3. Dinner Can Actually Determine Weight and Lifespan? These Eating Habits Are "Harmful", Many People Love Them. Science China 2021-05-27

Note: The above content is for reference only. Specific situations should be adjusted according to individual circumstances. Please consult a professional doctor for any health issues.

Word Count: Approximately 3000 words.