A new study from Korea has suggested that eating alone increases the chances of heart disease in older women and their knowledge about nutrition is also inadequate.

This was a cross-sectional study of nearly 600 menopausal women aged ≥65 years. The data was obtained from the 2016 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VII-1.

Women were grouped into two based on whether they ate >2 two meals daily alone or with others and whether eating with others had an association with the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases and its risk factors.

Results published in the journal Menopause revealed that the awareness about nutrition labels and their use was low in women who ate a lonely meal. Also, they were quite ignorant about the impact of the nutrition labels. Women in the eating alone group also consumed lesser amounts of carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sodium and potassium than women who ate with others.

The probability of having angina was 2.58 times higher in women who ate alone compared to women  who ate with others.

Healthy eating has always been recommended for good health; however, eating with others has not been addressed. A person who eats alone is often not aware of the amount of food and the type of food consumed. Unhealthy eating increases body weight, blood pressure and lipids. Also, eating alone has a negative impact on mental health.

Social determinants of health are being increasingly recognised for their role in health and disease. They have been appropriately termed “the causes of the causes”, which means that to eliminate a problem, its root causes must be first tackled.

Loneliness and social isolation have been recognised as a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. This study has shown a higher risk of angina in older women who ate alone and who also did not have satisfactory knowledge about nutrition. Hence, older women who eat alone should be screened for heart disease and also educated about the importance of a healthy and well-balanced diet.

Reference

1. Han-Gyo Choi, et al. Association between eating alone and cardiovascular diseases in elderly women: a cross-sectional study of KNHANES 2016 data. Menopause. 2021 Nov 1.  doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001887.