Late meal of the day seems to be associated with obesity, in conjunction

Does it make a difference for the weight to take what time of day we have our food to us? Researchers found out now that meals contribute later in the day to actually gain weight.

From a recent study of the University of Colorado shows that the consumption of food contributes later in the day to increase in weight. The results of the study were presented at ENDO, 2019, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in New Orleans.

Has a late dinner on the weight?

Previous studies have already shown that is the later of eating and sleeping with obesity, explained study author Adnin Zaman from the University of Colorado in Denver. “However, only a few studies have assessed the timing of meals and sleep time in adults with obesity, and it is not clear whether the food is later connected to the day with a shorter sleep duration or a higher body fat,” adds the expert, in a press release from the Endocrine Society.

What was studied?

The study used three different types of technology, sleep, physical activity, and eating habits of the Participating record. The researchers used a novel set of methods for the simultaneous measurement of daily sleep, physical activity, and the timing of the meals. So people could be identified who may be at risk of increased weight gain.

Ninety percent of the subjects were women

The study consisted of 31 overweight and obese adults with an average age of 36 years. Ninety percent of the subjects were women participating in an ongoing study on weight loss. In this study, a daily calorie restriction was compared with the consumption of food to specific times of day. All the Participants contributed during the study, a so-called activPAL device on the thigh. This device measures how much time with physically active and sedentary activities, as was spent. In addition, the subjects wore an Actiwatch, which measured the sleep/Weckmuster of the Participants. In addition, the subjects were asked to use a special phone App to take pictures so all of your meals and Snacks throughout the day, and the time at which they were consumed.

Late eating leads to a higher BMI

The researchers found that the subjects took during the day an average of eleven hours of food and every night, about seven hours of sleep. If people ate however, later in the day, went to bed later and later. You slept about as much as those who had earlier stopped with the food. Later dinner times were associated with a higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and higher values of body fat.

Smartphones and activity monitors allow for better investigations

„We used a novel set of methods to show that people with Overweight or obesity to eat later in the day,“ says study author Zaman. The results help to assess whether, by restricting the consumption of food during the light time of the day, the risk for obesity is reduced. In view of the fact that wearable activity monitors and smart phones in our modern society are omnipresent today, it might already be possible in the near future, the timing of behaviors over a 24-hour period to take into account in the prevention and treatment of obesity, further explained Zaman. (as)