Approximately 42% of the U.S. adult population suffers from obesity, a condition linked to various chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
While it’s commonly advised to avoid late-night snacking, there is limited comprehensive research on the impact of late eating on body weight regulation and obesity risk, considering aspects like calorie intake regulation, energy expenditure, and molecular changes in adipose tissue.
A new study by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital has examined how the timing of eating significantly affects these factors, with their findings published in Cell Metabolism.
The Scope of the Study
Frank A. J. L. Scheer, Ph.D., the senior author, aimed to explore why late eating is correlated with increased obesity risk, body fat, and weight loss impairment.
The study involved 16 patients with a BMI in the overweight or obese range. They underwent two laboratory protocols; one with strictly scheduled early meals, and the other with the same meals but about four hours later.
Throughout these protocols, participants documented their hunger and appetite levels, and their body temperature and energy expenditure were measured.
Profound Impact of Late Eating
The study revealed that late eating had significant effects on hunger and appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin.
Specifically, leptin levels were decreased across 24 hours during late eating conditions compared to early eating conditions, affecting satiety signals.
Late eating also resulted in slower calorie-burning rates and impacted adipose tissue gene expression, promoting fat growth and reducing lipolysis.
Insightful Results
These findings add substantial insight into the understanding of late eating and its correlation with obesity.
They demonstrate the converging physiological and molecular mechanisms linking late eating to increased obesity risk, offering a clearer picture of how energy balance and the body’s utilization of food are affected by eating times, thus emphasizing the importance of meal timing in metabolic health.
Controlling Variables
By employing a randomized crossover study and controlling for several variables such as physical activity, sleep, and light exposure, the study was able to isolate the effects of late versus early eating on the body’s different control systems involved in energy balance.
However, Scheer highlights the necessity to consider how other behavioral and environmental variables in real-life scenarios might influence these biological pathways underlying obesity risk when tight control of all these factors is not feasible.
Future Studies and Implications
Scheer’s team plans to extend their research by including more women in future studies to enhance the generalizability of their findings.
They also intend to further investigate the impacts of the relationship between meal time and bedtime on energy balance.
The knowledge gained from such studies can potentially lead to the development of more informed dietary guidelines and interventions aimed at reducing obesity risk and improving metabolic health.
Key Takeaways
This study sheds new light on the correlation between the timing of eating and increased risk of obesity, highlighting the profound effects of late eating on hormone levels, calorie burning, and adipose tissue.
It underscores the importance of considering meal timing in developing strategies for obesity prevention and intervention.
Further studies are essential to validate these findings in diverse populations and to explore the broader implications of meal timing on metabolic health, which can inform future dietary recommendations and public health strategies.
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The research findings can be found in Cell Metabolism.
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