Should you really avoid eating late at night – what does the research say?

Doctors stress that it's good to eat dinner earlier, when and if feasible, which can be especially beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes.

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Illustration, Photo: Shutterstock
Illustration, Photo: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

The study confirmed that several factors make eating late at night potentially risky for health, says study author Dr. Wendy Basilian.

Although early dinners are usually associated with the elderly or small children, it seems that today more and more people are careful when they will eat their last meal of the day and try not to eat after 19 p.m., reports N1.

One of the big drivers of that trend, as the Real Simple portal writes, was the covid crisis and the change in the working hours of restaurants, most of which shortened their working hours during the pandemic, and guests got used to eating earlier in the evening.

In addition, several studies have recently been published that indicate that an earlier dinner may be healthier than a dinner right before bed, mostly pointing to the fact that it is harder for the body to "do" the digestive process when it overlaps with sleep because then sugar processing and fats worse. This can be especially harmful for diabetics, obese people and chronically ill people.

Nevertheless, dietitians point out that dinner before 19 pm should not be a rule and obligation for anyone, because the time of eating depends on numerous factors that are more or less out of our control, such as working hours, various obligations, time for exercise, children's activities , food availability, fatigue and more.

Doctors therefore emphasize that it is good to have dinner earlier, when and if it is feasible, which can be especially beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes.

This is supported by a 2018 study published in the Endocrine Journal, which found that type 2 diabetics who ate late at night had poorer glycemic control, potentially leading to health complications associated with the disease.

Another 2022 study published in Cell Metabolism pointed to a link between late dinners and obesity, and concluded that late dinners change the way the body stores and breaks down fat, predisposing it to be stored more.

Also, the study says, eating late at night can reduce serum levels of leptin, a hormone that helps regulate body fat and reduce the amount of calories burned during the day.

"This study confirmed that several factors and mechanisms make late-night eating potentially risky for health," writes study author Dr. Wendy Basilian.

Another smaller 2020 study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that late dinners in 20 healthy adults caused nocturnal glucose intolerance and reduced their bodies' ability to use fat for energy.

"However, there is no universal ideal time for dinner and there are many variables to consider when it comes to meal times," said Dr. Maja Feller, a Brooklyn-based dietitian who says it's clear from all of the above that the body benefits from eating before 19 p.m., and that, with an effort not to be late at night, everyone should find a time that suits them best, reports Večernji.hr.

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