No more tables for one.
Yes, according to research published by Obesity research & Clinical Practice, it looks like eating alone can come with some serious health consequences.
The study discovered that those who dined alone twice a day were more prone to symptoms such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and many showing pre-diabetic signs. All of this data was compared against those who dined alongside others, which overall showed significantly lower signs of any symptoms.
The research, which looked at the eating patterns of 7,725 South Korean men, found that those who dined alone were associated with a 45% increased risk of being obese and a 64% increased risk of having metabolic syndrome.
Other external factors were also documented to affect one’s health when eating alone. According to Annalijn Conklin, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of British Columbia, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors also play a massive part. She said: “Men who were not married and eating alone had much worse outcomes compared to others in the study, and that mirrors some other research that’s been done on social relationships and diet quality.”
Stressful life events and sleep deprivation also played a part and have been noted to drive “the experience of eating alone and of metabolic syndrome” Dr Conklin added.
Maybe it’s time to rethink that work lunch and grab a colleague to dine with instead.
