Change This One Habit To Improve Weight Loss
If you’ve been trying to lose weight for some time it’s likely a health professional has advised you at one time or another to avoid late-night eating.
Multiple studies highlight the correlation between late-night eating and increased risk of obesity, as well as disturbances in circadian rhythm and metabolic health and higher levels of inflammatory markers.
So, how does late-night eating impact weight loss?
Despite accounting for diet composition and caloric intake, researchers have found those who consume food later in the day versus earlier in the day experienced significantly higher levels of self-reported hunger. Blood samples taken from both the early eaters and late-night eaters revealed a significant increase in the satiety-signalling hormone, leptin, in early eaters. In other words, those who ate earlier in the day were more sensitive to innate signals of fullness.
Biopsies of white adipose tissue were taken of both groups to determine the potential effects on gene expression. Again, while caloric intake and diet composition were matched between late-night eaters and early eaters, the biopsies showed molecular and physiological changes promoting increased appetite and fat accumulation, leading to an increased risk of weight gain and the development of obesity if sustained long-term.
Further, a significant decrease in energy expenditure was observed in those eating later at night, burning an average of 5.03% fewer calories per day than the early eaters.
In essence, late-night eating results in increased appetite, greater accumulation of fat and fewer calories burned throughout the day, despite consuming the same amount of calories and macronutrients. It’s advised to eat the bulk of your meals earlier in the day and consume your last meal at least 3 hours before bed to improve and sustain weight loss.
If you’re struggling with weight loss and would like some help, make an appointment. Together we can implement easy-to-follow strategies to achieve your health goals.
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References
Liu, X. Y., Zheng, C. L., Xu, C., Liu, Q., Wang, J., Hong, Y. Z., & Zhao, P. (2017). Nighttime snacking is associated with risk of obesity and hyperglycemia in adults: a cross-sectional survey from Chinese adult teachers. Journal of biomedical research, 31(6), 541–547. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.7555/JBR.31.20160083
Martínez-Lozano, N., Tvarijonaviciute, A., Ríos, R., Barón, I., Scheer, F. A. J. L., & Garaulet, M. (2020). Late Eating Is Associated with Obesity, Inflammatory Markers and Circadian-Related Disturbances in School-Aged Children. Nutrients, 12(9), 2881. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12092881
Vujović, N., Piron, M. J., Qian, J., Chellappa, S. L., Nedeltcheva, A., Barr, D., Heng, S. W., Kerlin, K., Srivastav, S., Wang, W., Shoji, B., Garaulet, M., Brady, M. J., & Scheer, F. A. J. L. (2022). Late isocaloric eating increases hunger, decreases energy expenditure, and modifies metabolic pathways in adults with overweight and obesity. Cell metabolism, 34(10), 1486–1498.e7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2022.09.007
