The study reveals that the risk is even higher in men

A new study has looked into the connection between metabolism, circadian rhythms and meal times, reveling that eating outside of our body’s natural rhythms can disrupt crucial metabolic processes like insulin secretion and glucose processing. Not only this, but it can result in weight gain.

Looking into the field of chrononutrition, which explores how meal times impact our health beyond just what or how much we eat, the study by researchers at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea, published in Physiology & Behavior, found that late-night eating can have severe implications for metabolic health and significantly increase obesity risk. This specifically applies after 9pm.

The research also suggests consuming more calories during breakfast promotes weight loss compared to doing so at dinner. The study looked at data from 9,474 Korean men and women adults whose average age is 54, providing a comprehensive look at how meal timings, sleep duration, and body weight interact.

The study also took account specific hormonal factors such as menopausal status in women. It found that eating high-calorie foods like burgers late at night can throw off our biological clock and heighten the risk of obesity.

Over three and a half years of follow-up, researchers discovered that those who ate after 9pm were 20% more likely to develop obesity. This risk was even higher in men where a 34% increase was observed compared to other groups.

Not only this, but late-night eating can lead to insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and elevated LDL cholesterol levels. also known as “bad cholesterol.”, reports infobae.com.

For women, despite a lower overall percentage, there was a noticeable trend of abdominal fat accumulation which is a key sign of metabolic and cardiovascular risk. During the night, the body’s biological clock, which controls essential hormonal processes, is not primed for digestion and metabolism of food, particularly calorie-dense ones.

It’s clear that consuming meat at night can impede digestion and contribute to weight gain if eaten outside optimal metabolic rhythms. It also impacts hormone secretion like insulin, vital for glucose processing, resulting in reduced carbohydrate tolerance compared to daytime hours.

This point is backed up by numerous studies including the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which noted insulin sensitivity is higher during the day, allowing for better carbohydrate processing. Further research notes daytime meal schedules enhances carbohydrate tolerance and insulin sensitivity.

Concerning sleep and eating, previous studies suggest at least eight hours are needed after dinner and are associated with a lower risk of obesity due to improved regulation of appetite-related hormones like ghrelin and leptin.

Looking at why late night meals can lead to abdominal fat accumulation, particularly in women, researchers explain this could be due to hormonal deregulation that occurs when we eat during times our bodies should be at metabolic rest.

They add that that “modern social factors such as prolonged workdays, night shift work, and widespread use of electronic devices have facilitated sleep deprivation and nighttime eating, thus exacerbating circadian misalignment and its associated health risks” such as triggering chronic inflammation and increasing the risk of autoimmune diseases.

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