【Sing Tao Comprehensive Report】 According to a study, dining at night will increase hunger and increase weight, leading to the risk of obesity.
The study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, and lead author Nina Vujović, a researcher at the Department of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said that if you eat dinner later at night, your hunger will increase exponentially. .
“We found that eating 4 hours later had a significant effect on hunger levels, how calories are burned after eating and how fat is stored, and these changes could explain why the risk of obesity increases. as you eat, “Vujović said.
Studies have shown that meal times affect key physiological functions such as body temperature and heart rate, which in turn affect how the body absorbs it.
According to Dr. Bhanu Prakash Kolla, MD, Psychiatry and Psychology at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, research has shown that eating late at night can lead to “increased hunger, affect hormones and alter gene expression, especially in the metabolism of fats, resulting in a decrease in lipolysis and a reduction in lipolysis. Increase in fat deposition “.
The study authors noted that the study was small, involving only 16 overweight or obese people; however, the study was carefully designed to eliminate other potential weight gain factors.
The volunteers who participated in the study were in good health, had no history of diabetes or required shift work (which can affect circadian rhythms) and exercised regularly; each study participant maintained a strict and healthy sleep schedule and were provided with meals prepared at fixed times 3 days prior to the start of the experiment.
The results of the study showed that people who insisted on eating at night were twice as hungry as those who ate early; people who ate late also had a greater craving for starches, salty foods, and meat, and a greater craving for dairy products and vegetables. .
The study showed that by analyzing the blood of the volunteers it was possible to understand why; those who ate later had lower levels of leptin, a hormone that tells us when we were full, compared to those who ate early, compared to those who ate later. , the level of ghrelin, which stimulates our appetite, increases.
The results showed that eating later led to a 34% increase in the average ghrelin ratio during the 24-hour sleep cycle.
Additionally, people who ate late at night consumed calories slower than those who ate early, and after body fat tests, it was found that genetic changes can affect how fat is burned or stored.
It is unclear whether these effects will persist over time.
(Image: CTV) T02
