We normally think that a calorie is a
calorie, no matter when you eat it, and that weight gain is caused by eating more
calories than you use.
But according to a study published in the
Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, eating
a late dinner is associated with weight gain and high blood sugar levels,
regardless if the meal is the same that you would have eaten earlier. For
example, eating dinner at 10 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. may affect your blood
glucose and the ability to burn fat.
The study found that late eaters had peak
blood sugar levels almost 20 percent higher and fat burning reduced by 10
percent, compared with those who ate dinner earlier even people ate the same
meal.
Thus meal timing may influence the risk
of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
People who were accustomed to sleeping
earlier did the worst when giving them a late meal while people that are night
owls and ate as late as 2 or 3 a.m. seemed to be unaffected by the change in
their meal.
Thus when working long days, it may be
good to eat a healthy snack (such as a small, high protein snack like Greek yogurt sprinkled with nuts) in the late afternoon and curb your appetite
for a late dinner. Choices for dinner then could be a small salad with
grilled chicken, half a sandwich and fruit, or a cup of vegetable soup and a
glass of low fat milk.
No comments:
Post a Comment