# A Simple Daily Habit That Improves Heart and Vascular Health Has Been Named

American researchers have shown that extending the nighttime fasting period while accounting for individual sleep schedules can improve cardiovascular and metabolic health markers - without reducing caloric intake. The study was published in the journal Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB).

The study involved 39 people aged 36 to 75 with overweight or obesity - a group at elevated risk for cardiometabolic diseases. The experiment lasted 7.5 weeks.

Participants were divided into two groups. In the control group, they maintained their usual eating schedule with a nighttime "fasting window" of 11–13 hours. In the main group, the fasting period was extended to 13–16 hours, and participants were required to finish eating at least three hours before bedtime. Caloric intake remained unchanged. Both groups also dimmed lights three hours before going to sleep to strengthen circadian signals.

"Synchronizing the fasting period with natural sleep-wake cycles helps improve the coordination between heart function, metabolism, and sleep, which together protect cardiovascular health," explained the study's first author, Associate Professor of Neurology Daniela Grimaldi.

According to the study's lead investigator, Director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine Phyllis Zee, not only the composition and amount of food matters, but also its timing: "What matters is not only how much and what you eat, but also when you eat relative to sleep."

By the end of the experiment, people who stopped eating three hours before bed and extended their nighttime fasting period showed improved nighttime blood pressure and heart rate readings and better daytime glucose control.

During sleep, blood pressure decreased by an average of 3.5%, and heart rate by 5%. A more pronounced circadian rhythm - when the heart works more actively during the day and slows down at night - is considered a marker of better cardiovascular health. The pancreas responded more efficiently to glucose load, indicating more stable insulin production and reduced risk of carbohydrate metabolism disorders.

The authors emphasized that nearly 90% of participants strictly adhered to the regimen, making the strategy a potentially convenient and accessible alternative to pharmacological prevention methods.