We’ve heard these rumours before but often thought of them as just poor diet tips or old lame advice.

But, sadly, as it turns out, eating after 7pm can have some seriously unhealthy effects on your body. Experts have revealed that late-night eating forces your body to enter a state 0f “high-alert” when it should instead be winding down. According to The New Zealand Herald, the results of a study of more than 700 people with high blood pressure found that eating within two hours of bedtime meant their levels stayed high. In a healthy person, blood pressure drops by at least 10 per cent when they go to sleep. This is because eating releases a rush of stress hormones when the body should be beginning to relax. Lead researcher Dr Ebru Özpelit, presented the results at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Rome. Dr Özpelit said: “If we eat late at night, the body essentially remains on high alert as during the day, rather than relaxing for sleep.” "Stress hormones are secreted, causing blood pressure not to decrease during sleep, which should normally happen." She found that those who did eat after 7pm were 2.8 times more likely to retain high blood pressure overnight. High blood pressure increases risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease. Ultimately, the most interesting noting from the study is that how we eat is as important as what we eat. Dr Özpelit advised that people do not skip breakfast, eat lunch, and keep dinner to a small meal. "Eating breakfast and lunch is important but dinner must not be later than seven o'clock in the evening," she said. The research lends weight to a growing theory that regularly timed meals and fasting at night can beneficial effects on health. Other similar research has found that an early dinner reduces the risk of breast cancer, lowers blood sugar levels, and helps burn off calories.