Love To Eat Alone? But It Can Be Bad For Your Health

Food usually enjoyed with the family or with colleagues at work or just with friends tend to be healthier than the food that is eaten alone.

The habit of eating alone can increase the risk of developing a metabolic syndrome such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, a study claims.

Unhealthy Eating Common in Lonely Adults

‘Men increase their risk of developing a metabolic syndrome such as high blood pressure or pre-diabetes if they ate alone for two meals per day.’

Researchers studied the link between loneliness and health in men and women and found that men were more at risk to develop health problems.

Experts developed the study because people who live alone is increasing across the world, which can cause someone to feel lonely and make unhealthy choices when eating.

The research team from Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, studied 7,725 adults on how often they eat alone and compared it to their health. The study revealed that men who ate alone had a 45 percent increased risk of being obese and 64 percent for developing a metabolic syndrome.

Women in the study were 29 percent more likely to develop a metabolic syndrome if they ate alone twice or more per day. These results were after the researchers adjusted for lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol use, age and the amount someone worked out per week.

Risk of Metabolic Disorders In Smaller Households

The researchers said in the study that they wanted to analyze the link between loneliness and metabolic disorders since household sizes are getting smaller. More and more people are living on their own instead of with others.

The proportion of Americans living alone has increased from five percent of the population in 1920 to 27 percent in 2013. This increase is attributed to people waiting longer to get married and divorce rates going up. But experts warn that this can lead people to feeling socially isolated and will therefore impact what they eat when they are alone, especially for men.

Loneliness can increase the chances of someone eating more unhealthy foods. If someone feels socially isolated, they might turn towards junk food instead of fruits and vegetables. This will impact their health and can increase the likelihood of developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol or prediabetes.

Source: Medindia