Late dining tied to weight gains
EATING not long before bedtime might lead to packing on the pounds, according to a new study! Researchers say that’s because your metabolism slows, boosting blood sugar and other chemicals that contribute to weight gain and type 2 diabetes.
“It’s not just what you eat, but when you eat that may be a factor in promoting conditions like obesity,” says study author Dr. Jonathan Jun, an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
“You might eat this same number of calories in that 24hour period, but your body will handle those calories differently depending on what time you eat them.”
In the study, 20 volunteers ate the same dinner at either 6 p.m. or 10 p.m. Both groups went to bed at 11 p.m. and got up at 7 a.m.
The volunteers wore activity trackers, blood samples were taken hourly and sleep studies were conducted. They also had scans of body fats and ate foods containing compounds that allowed researchers to track fat burning.
Results showed late diners had higher blood sugar and burned less fat.
But Dr. Jun warns those effects might be greater for people who are obese or diabetic — and may differ based on a person’s metabolism or body clock.