Experts say if you eat supper before 6pm, it could help reduce fat and lower blood sugar
Researchers have found a pattern when it comes to eating a late dinner as opposed to eating dinner earlier.
As Oprah fans, we remember that time when Dr Oz came on the scene and would advise us of eating supper earlier. It was then that we found out it didn't just matter what you ate, but when you ate.
We all want to maintain a healthy weight and, of course, look good, but sometimes it gets difficult with the day-to-day stresses of life and having to follow a healthy diet when you don't even have time to wax!
With new research coming out on the time that you eat your last meal of the day, we have to agree that it makes sense to eat supper early. Whether or not that is possible is all up to you...
"More and more research supports the idea that when we eat our meals is just as important as what we’re consuming in our diets. And now, results from a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism have demonstrated that when it comes to dinner, earlier is better for several aspects of our health, namely our blood sugar levels and fat metabolism," First For Women reports.
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This pondering question leads us to the research conducted by John’s Hopkins University as they "aimed to find out if eating dinner later actually caused weight gain and higher blood sugar levels, since prior research has only demonstrated a link between eating late and being overweight and/or diabetic (not necessarily proving causation)." (First For Women Website)
The study involved 20 volunteers (10 were female and 10 were male). Things that were accessed during the research study involved how the volunteers' metabolism was affected when they ate at 10 pm as opposed to 6 pm, while both groups went to bed at 11 pm. The volunteers went through body fat scans prior to the study and wore activity trackers during the study, so their heart rates and sleep were monitored. Everyone was given the same meals to eat so that accuracy in the findings could be achieved.
On average, the peak glucose level after late dinner was about 18 percent higher, and the amount of fat burned overnight decreased by about 10 percent compared to eating an earlier dinner. The effects we have seen in healthy volunteers might be more pronounced in people with obesity or diabetes, who already have a compromised metabolism.
The study's first author, Chenjuan Gu, M.D., Ph.D, went on to say that more experiments were needed to study the effects over time, and whether behaviour (such as sleeping straight after eating) or the body's circadian rhythms were factors to consider.
Whether or not that is the case we will find out in the future, but for now we suggest eating early. Even Carol Ofori practices eating early with her family, although the reasoning may not match the motivations mentioned here.
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My family and I eat at 4 o' clock because of my kids. My kids need to eat by 4 o' clock so that they can get to bed by 7. When you have small kids that's the time you end up eating...
Watch the video below of Dr Oz sharing some insight on the topic (courtesy of YouTube):
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