Study says eating later in the day can be associated with obesity

Since years health experts have been talking about the importance of eating right at the right time. A new study has suggested that eating later in the day can contribute to weight gain. The study was presented at the ENDO 2019, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in New Orleans, La. Some of the previous studies have suggested that later timing of eating and sleeping is related to obesity.

Adnin Zaman, the MD of the University of Colorado in Denver, Colo said, “However, few studies have assessed both meal and sleep timing in adults with obesity, and it is not clear whether eating later in the day is associated with shorter sleep duration or higher body fat”. The study had included 31 overweight and obese adults with an average age of 36 and ninety percent of them are women.

The participants were enrolled in an ongoing weight loss trial while comparing everyday calorie restrictions to time-restricting feeding. This means that they could eat only during certain hours if the day. The participants wore an activePAL electronic device on their thigh, which measured how much time they spent in physical activity and sedentary activities. They had also worn an ActiWatch that assessed the sleep/wake patterns. The participants were asked to use a phone app known as Meallogger to photograph and timestamp the meals and snacks throughout the day.

The researchers noticed that an average participant consumed food throughout an 11 hour time frame during the day and slept for about 7 hours in the night. The ones who ate later in the day slept at a later time but they slept for about the same amount of time as those who finished eating earlier. The later meal timing was associated with higher body mass index as well as greater body fat. Zaman said that they used novel set of methods to show that individuals who are overweight or with obesity may be eating later in the day.

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