You should not be eating alone: Study

CAIRO – 13 November 2017: The Greek philosopher Epicurus once said, “We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink.” Obviously Epicurus was on to something as a new scientific study just found out that eating alone actually has negative effects on health.

According to the study published

on Obesity Research & Clinical Practice,

eating patterns have been altered in association with modern day families’ disintegration. As nowadays people are more likely to live in smaller families and have unorganized and more individual eating routines. This also resulted into many adults resorting to eating alone more often.

The study, conducted using survey data collected from 7,725 South Korean adults, showed that men who often ate alone had a 45 percent higher chance of being obese and a 64 percent increase in the risk of suffering from metabolic syndrome, that is beside other risks such as: prediabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Even after considering the effects of smoking and drinking it was found that an unmarried man who dined alone was still at a three times higher risk of metabolic syndrome than a man who usually dined with someone, according to Time’s website. As for the results for women they were unclear and needed further research.

Metabolic syndrome or MetS can be defined as a “clustering of at least three of five of the following medical conditions: abdominal (central) obesity, elevated fasting plasma glucose, elevated blood pressure, high serum triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels,” according to V. Kuete on

Medicinal Spices and Vegetables from Africa.

Apparently people who dined alone more did not have as much healthy food or fruits and vegetables as they should and they did not have regular times for eating. However, these study results should not be taken as a clear connection between eating alone and suffering from metabolic syndrome as there are many cultural and scientific variables that should be taken into consideration. The study does show, however, that an unhealthy lifestyle is usually a factor in suffering from MetS, according to Time’s website.