The time of day we eat is vital for our health

Although it has always been popularly said that it is better to have an early and light dinner, new research has sought scientific bases for this statement.

The study was carried out at the Irving Medical Center of Columbia University in New York, United States, and was led by postdoctoral researcher and doctor Diana Díaz Rizzolo, professor at the Open University of Catalonia (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC )).

The results of the study support this traditional statement: eating more than 45% of the day’s calories after five in the afternoon is associated with an increase in glucose levels, with the harmful consequences that this entails for health, regardless of of the person’s weight and body fat.

“High glucose levels maintained over time can have implications such as a greater risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes, an increase in cardiovascular risk, due to damage to blood vessels caused by high glucose, and greater chronic inflammation, which aggravates cardiovascular and metabolic damage,” says Díaz Rizzolo.

Until now, it was believed that the main consequence of eating late dinner was weight gain, which was associated with the fact that at night people tend to make worse food choices, such as consuming more ultra-processed foods, since the hormones that regulate hunger and Satiety is altered when we do not adjust to the hours of sunshine.

The importance of the study is that it reveals that the timing of meals, alone, can negatively affect glucose metabolism, regardless of the amount of calories consumed throughout the day and the weight and body fat of the individual.

What time we eat is more important for our health than it might seem. (Image: Amazings/NCYT)

Late Eaters Versus Early Eaters

The study included 26 participants between 50 and 70 years old who were overweight or obese and had prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. The glucose tolerance of the participants was compared, who were divided into two groups: early eaters, who had the highest intake of calories before the evening, and late eaters, who ate 45% or more of their calories after five in the afternoon. Both groups consumed the same calories and foods during the day, they just did it at different times. Participants used a mobile app to record their meals in real time.

The main finding is that late eaters tolerated glucose worse, regardless of their weight or the composition of the diet. It was also observed that they had a tendency to eat greater amounts of carbohydrates and fats during the evening.

Díaz Rizzolo, who is a specialist in obesity, diabetes and aging, explains that “at night, the body’s ability to metabolize glucose is reduced, because insulin secretion and the sensitivity of cells to this hormone decrease due to the circadian rhythm, determined by a central clock in the brain that is coordinated with the hours of daylight and night.

The importance of when to eat

The study, therefore, represents an important finding about the implications that the times at which we eat have for health. “So far,” says the researcher, “personalizations in nutrition have been based on two main questions: how much to eat and what foods to choose. With this study, a new question begins to take on great importance in cardiometabolic prevention: when to eat.” warns Díaz Rizzolo.

Based on the results of this study, and with due caution, since more studies will be needed to delve deeper into the subject, the researcher advises that the contribution of food be made mainly during the sunny hours of the day and that the greatest contribution of calories in the day should be eaten at breakfast in the morning and lunch at midday, instead of at a snack in the afternoon and dinner at night. Díaz Rizzolo also recommends avoiding the consumption of ultra-processed products, fast food and foods rich in carbohydrates, especially at night.

The study is titled “Late eating is associated with poor glucose tolerance, independent of body weight, fat mass, energy intake and diet composition in prediabetes or early onset type 2 diabetes.” And it has been published in the academic journal Nutrition and Diabetes. (Source: UOC)