'Overnight fasting' may cut risk of developing breast cancer

Overnight fasting can help reduce risk of developing breast cancer in women, claims a new study.

First author on the paper, Catherine Marinac, at the University of California explained that increasing the duration of overnight fasting reduces glucose levels and hence may reduce the risk of breast cancer among women.

Women who fasted for longer periods of time overnight had significantly better control over blood glucose concentrations. The data shows that each three hour increase in nighttime fasting was associated with a 4 percent lower postprandial glucose level, regardless of how much women ate.

Co-author Ruth Patterson, PhD, added that the dietary advice for cancer prevention usually focuses on limiting consumption of red meat, alcohol and refined grains while increasing plant-based foods, but new evidence suggested that when and how often people eat can also play a role in cancer risk.

Women in the study reported eating 5 times per day with a mean nighttime fasting of 12 hours. Those who reported longer fast durations also indicated they consumed fewer calories per day, ate fewer calories after 10 p.m. and had fewer eating episodes.

The study is published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.