It’s not just what you eat, but the time of day you eat it

[RLSNona]

This is the title of an article in the Washington Post today. For the life of me I can't figure out how to share it, but someone else might be able to, hopefully. The article says to finish meals earlier in the day. "This pattern of eating aligns with our circadian rhythms, the innate 24-hour clock that governs many aspects of our health, from our daily hormonal fluctuations and body temperatures to our sleep-wake cycles."

This statement reminds me of what a neurologist said to me, that our iron levels flatten out in the evening and that might be a reason for RLS to be more active later in the day.

What is the reaction from folks in this group? Does this idea have legs? (sorry )

[ChrisColumbus]

washingtonpost.com/wellness...

[ChrisColumbus in reply to ChrisColumbus]

This article is in itself not a new concept: it basically repeats the old adage that we should "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper".

I seem to remember that there have in fact been some studies that suggest that the "breakfast like a king" part really isn't as important as once assumed (although I can't lay my hands on those studies at this moment).

As far as this article goes, I'm not totally clear as to how much really new science ('chrono-nutrition') has been involved here, and how much it simply codifies what was already understood (and possibly refutes the doubts around the necessity for big breakfasts).

Regardless, whether we call it chrono-nutrition or not, the basic concept of eating earlier - founded in common sense as much as in science - does make some sense.

[ChrisColumbus]

8On a related theme, ZOE are running an intermittent fasting study with over 100,000 participants investigating the benefits of taking all meals and snacks within a 10 hour window

health-study.joinzoe.com/bl...

This, like the WP story above, is about general health: any benefits to RLS would be welcome but coincidental.

[Eryl]

No, Rls is to do with systemic inflammation. In the morning most people are fasted after being in bed all night so most are free of rls, then we have breakfast of commonly foods like toasted white bread, commercial cerals or fruit juice all of which are inflammatory. mid morning many will have coffee with sugar and a biscuit made with sugar and white flour (which is again inflammatory). Then lunch can be inflammatory being something with white bread or something fried in refined seed oil followed by a dessert made with large ammounts of sugar. and so on throughout the day so that all these inflammation drivers build up then in the evenings many have an alcoholic drink or a swetened milky drink before bed. All this inflammation makes the nerves hypersensitive leading to RLS which gets progressively worse though the day.

The article is right however in saying that we should have our evening meal earlier but that's because it allows the time for insulin levels to reduce and insulin drives cells which means that it's harder to relax and fall asleep.

[Madlegs1 in reply to Eryl]

Wow!

Very clear! Makes absolute sense!

Thanks.😎

[FluteE in reply to Eryl]

I agree with Madlegs. Thanks for the clarity. What are your suggestions, Eryl, as far as eating times. Unfortunately I know what NOT to eat 😒

[Eryl in reply to FluteE]

The recomendation from the experts is to eat within an eight hour window which is not that dificult if you are on a low carb diet which will supress hunger pangs For me it works to skip breakfast and have a propper lunch (not just a snack), then have my evening meal between seven and eight. This allows time for insulin levels to return to near normal before bed time.

[Graham3196]

Can someone explain what "inflammation" is? It seems to be a chemical produced in the body which somehow contributes to the repair of tissue but which the body cant control. Too much is apparently bad for the body and I presume that not enough is also bad for the body. Can a doctor remove a syringe full of inflammation? What is the chemical formula? Is it a liquid sharing the arteries and veins with my blood or is it a modified form of blood that is created at a stress site such as a cut or where there is a disease like arthritis? Can I die from inflammation? I heard about corpuscles and bones and marrow at school but nary a mention of inflammation except in a vague way that it made my skin red.

Being an engineer doesn't help much but perhaps I was away that day?

[Madlegs1 in reply to Graham3196]

Inflammation is not a substance.

It's more a state of being.

Imagine when you get stung by an insect. Your body reacts by sending all sorts of fighting cells to attack whatever the insect has injected into you.

All these substances have a great time fighting each other in their version of WW3.

That's inflammation.😃

Same situation holds for any and everything you put in your mouth. Mostly your body accepts and processes it into whatever the body needs.

However, sometimes, we abuse our body and shove things like Sugar and other poisons into it.

They naturally bother the body, which gets upset. (Inflamed)

Inflammation again.

You're welcome!😎

[Graham3196 in reply to Madlegs1]

Thanks Madlegs I'll consider inflammation from that perspective and see if it helps me understand.

[Eryl in reply to Graham3196]

Inflammation is a swelling often accompanied with rednrss caused by increased blood flow.