Eating late at night adds weight

Late-night snackers are more likely to gain weight, research suggests.

A team from Northwestern University, Illinois, found that when you eat, not just how you eat, could make a big difference.

Scientists found that when mice ate at unusual hours, they put on twice as much weight, despite exercising and eating as much as others.The study, in the journal Obesity, is said to be the first to show directly that there is a "wrong" time to eat.

Recent studies have suggested that circadian rhythms, the body's internal clock, have a role in how our bodies use up energy. However, this had been difficult to definitively pin down.

Deanna Arble, lead author of the study, said: "One of our research interests is shift workers, who tend to be overweight."This got us thinking that eating at the wrong time of day might be contributing to weight gain."

The experiment looked at two groups of mice over a six-week period. Both groups were fed a high-fat diet, but at different times of the mice "waking cycle".

One group of mice ate at times when they would normally be asleep. They put on twice as much weight.

This was despite them doing the same level of activity, and eating the same amount of food, as the other mice.The findings may have implications for people worried about their weight.

"How or why a person gains weight is very complicated, but it is clearly not just calories in and calories out," said Fred Turek, from the Northwestern's Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology, where the research took place."Better timing of meals could be a critical element in slowing the ever-increasing incidence of obesity."

Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, agreed. He said: "It is groundbreaking. It really gets you thinking why this has not been done before."It could be very dramatic if it affects whether you are going to get fat or not."

At this stage, the results could still be interpreted as controversial when applied to humans.

The scientists now hope they can find out more about how the process works. It is thought that sleep, hormones and body temperature all play a part in how we gain weight.

Source:BBC

Read more »

Posted in: Eating late at night adds weight nutrition,Effects of late night eating

The Effects of Late Night Eating

Many of us are prone to eating during the night, not aware of the effects it has on our body. In the following article, we have discussed the effects of eating late at night along with some easy tips to avoid it.

Let's share our secrets. How often have you sneaked into the kitchen in the darkness of night to steal that cup of ice cream in the refrigerator? Or on how many occasions have you treated your stomach with your favorite food at the time of night when you should ideally be in a deep slumber? On more than one occasion correct!

 Eating in the middle of the night is something we all are 'vulnerable' to, and it is nothing but a result of failure to control the food cravings.

As per research findings, the frequent late night eating tendency in some people could be provoked by stress during the day. Giving into the urge frequently can have a disastrous obvious effect on your weight loss plan and also on your health. This article focuses on finding the various consequences of eating late at night along with some tips to restrict your feet from heading to the kitchen; yes at the odd hours of night!

Why Eating Late Should Be Avoided...

Occasionally treating yourself with some food during the sleeping hours is not harmful. But daily treats during these hours is not recommended. However many people are prone to this tendency and in medical terms it is referred to as late night eating syndrome.

 People with the syndrome daily consume something heavy after the ideal dinner time. It has been found that people with the syndrome also suffer from depression and low self esteem.

Now getting back to our earlier point of discussion, there are valid reasons we should avoid late night eating. Did you know there are some religious cultures in the world that restrict eating after sunset? And science also opines that avoiding high calorie food after seven in the evening is good for health. But why so? The consequences have been summarized below...

Affects Your Sleeping

It is so funny that we never pick up a fruit or something healthy to eat at night! Late night eating is always about high calorie fattening food, be it a cheese burger, pizza, chocolate or ice cream (I am hungry now...) As per scientific research, consuming foods high on caffeine and spice makes sleeping tough. The system of the body finds it difficult to digest high calorie foods and this indirectly affects sound sleep. Eating high caffeine food at night will make you stay awake and can cause nervousness and irritability, apart from leaving you exposed to the probability of an upset stomach. It is but obvious that eating late at night disturbs your sleep; you wake up in the night to provide to your stomach and end up troubling your sleep.

Can Cause Weight Gain

People on a weight loss diet are more prone to eating late at night. If you fail to control your hunger and give into eating high calorie food, it can run havoc on your weight loss plan. Although this has not been proven, eating late could be a major reason for unnecessary weight gain. You will definitely gain weight if you daily consume high calorie foods during the night hours. To suppress the late night hunger pangs, the key lies in eating something that is light and nutritious, say a fruit or an oatmeal biscuit.

Makes You Prone to Other Consequences

If you consistently eat spicy and oily food at night, it will increase the chances of making you susceptible to acid reflux. Acid reflux has milder symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that is a mild burning sensation in the chest and pain the heart area. In diabetic and non diabetic patients, eating late can affect the insulin resistance ability. For preventing these effects you should avoid eating tomato and spicy food during the night. Stick to something light for a sound sleep.

These were the harmful effects of eating late in the night hours. To handle your demanding stomach, plan a proper diet plan rich in all the nutrients. Segment your meals thoughtfully and exercise and meditate. All of these will help control your desires and help you get sound sleep. The conclusion is that late night eating is something you should avoid getting into even if you are super thin or calorie conscious!

Read other health tip

Read more »

Posted in: eating habits,Effects of late night eating