Summary Meals later at night can cause weight gain and impair fat metabolism.
(Web Desk) - We have all been guilty of our midnight fridge raids but guess what? A newly conducted research shows that it is much better drinking a glass of water and heading straight back to bed.
Yes, according to a research conducted by the students at the Perelman School of Medicine, University Of Pennsylvania, eating after 9 pm is the worst time to consume any sorts of food.
This is primarily because, according to the research, eating late at night can cause weight gain, and raise insulin and cholesterol levels more compared to eating earlier on in the day.
Late night binge eating can also cause various heart problems and can also negatively affect the hormonal balance in the body. This may give rise to diabetes as well.
The researchers carefully followed the lives of nine adults who tried changing their lifestyles and eating habits completely. They ate between 8am and 7pm for eight weeks, and then swapped to eating between 12pm and 11pm. Their sleeping patterns stayed the same throughout.
The team found that when participants ate later, compared to the daytime condition, weight increased. Respiratory quotient, i.e. the ratio of carbon dioxide produced by the body to oxygen consumed by the body that indicates which macronutrients are being metabolized, also rose during the delayed eating condition, indicating later eating led to metabolizing fewer lipids and more carbs. The researchers also found that a series of other measures reflecting negative metabolic profiles increased in the delayed condition, including insulin, fasting glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.
The research concluded that Eating earlier in the day can help prevent detrimental chronic health effects.
