Can one heavy meal affect your heart within hours? Doctor warns it can temporarily raise cardiac workload and trigger chest pain in those at risk

A festive dinner, a buffet plate piled high, or a late-night meal can leave the stomach feeling uncomfortably full. For most healthy people, one heavy meal is unlikely to suddenly damage the heart. But that does not mean the heart is completely unaffected.A very large meal, particularly one high in fat, salt and refined carbohydrates, can temporarily change the body's workload. Digestion increases blood flow to the gut, while certain foods can influence blood pressure, blood vessels and blood sugar. For someone with existing heart disease or other cardiovascular risk factors, that extra strain may matter more.Dr Swarup Swaraj Pal, Senior Consultant, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon, Gleneagles Hospitals, Parel, explained, “A large, high-fat or high-salt meal can temporarily impact the heart, especially in people with existing heart disease.