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More and more studies are being carried out to verify the beliefs that people have about health issues and this time, a new investigation evaluated why eating later is not good for our waistline
For this compared people who ate the same foods, but at different times of the day.
The first author, Nina Vujović, a researcher in the division of and circadian disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, commented that just a few hours between one meal and another can make a difference.
“We found that eating four hours later makes a significant difference in our hunger levels, the way we burn calories after eating, and the way we store fat,” Vujović said.
Increased hunger affects hormones
The study, published Tuesday in the journal Cell Metabolism, supports the concept that the circadian rhythm, which influences key physiological functions such as body temperature and heart rate, affects how our bodies absorb fuel.
In fact, eating later is also associated with increased hunger that affects hormones and also changes gene expression, especially in terms of fat metabolism.
This was stated by Dr. Bhanu Prakash Kolla, professor. of psychiatry and psychology at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine and consultant to the Mayo Center for Sleep Medicine and Division of Addiction Medicine.
In the experiment, the authors explain, only 16 overweight or obese people participated, but was carefully planned to eliminate other potential causes of weight gain.
According to lead author Frank Scheer, director of the Medical Chronobiology Program in the Division of Circadian and Sleep Disorders of Brigham, the investigation included the strict control of the quantity, composition and timing of meals, physical activity, sleep, room temperature and exposure to light.
In addition, another aspect to highlight is that all the participants were in good health, with no history of diabetes or shift work, which can affect circadian rhythm, and had regular physical activity.
The results showed that hunger pangs were doubled for those who followed a nightly eating regimen . People who ate later in the day also reported a craving for starchy and salty foods, meat and, to a lesser extent, a craving for dairy products and vegetables.
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