According to a recent study, eating more than 45% of daily calories after 5 p.m. may contribute to higher blood glucose (sugar) levels in older persons with prediabetes or early type 2 diabetes.
Poor blood sugar regulation can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes, an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and chronic inflammation.
According to experts, the lightest meal of the day is dinner, which has fewer carbohydrates, more good fats and protein, and no desserts.
Experts believe that consistent, high-quality sleep will help to balance hunger and glucose metabolism.
The study, conducted by teams from the UniversitatOberta de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, and Columbia University in New York, suggests that eating more than 45% of daily calories after 5 p.m. may be associated with poorer glucose tolerance, particularly in older adults with prediabetes or early type 2 diabetes. This can have a long-term negative impact on health, increasing the chance of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic inflammation. The previously anticipated effect of late eating was weight gain due to a slowed metabolism as we relax and our bodies prepare for and engage in sleep.
The current study reveals that, independent of a person’s weight or average calorie consumption, the time of day when they eat might have major impact on glucose metabolism.
The study divided 26 participants aged 50 to 75 who had overweight or obesity, as well as prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, into two groups: “early eaters” who consumed the majority of their daily calories before 5 p.m., and “late eaters” who ate 45% or more of their calories after 5 p.m. for 14 days.
The groups consumed comparable amounts of daily calories and macronutrients. However, late diners consumed about twice the number of calories after 5 p.m., ingesting more fat and carbohydrates overall and tending toward higher protein and sugar intake than early.
In oral glucose tolerance tests, the late diners had considerably higher blood glucose levels after 30 and 60 minutes, indicating a reduced tolerance of glucose (sugar).
This pattern persisted regardless of participants’ body weight and fat mass, calorie intake, and food composition.
Why is eating late bad for your health?
Nate Wood, MD, an instructor of medicine and the director of culinary medicine at the Yale School of Medicine who was not involved in the study, told that eating later in the day or late at night has the potential to add weight to the body because most people are much less active at night, if not completely inactive while sleeping.
“The issue with eating late at night, we think, is that we are consuming calories at a time when our body doesn’t need them,” Wood instructed us.
He explained this by saying:
“Imagine you ate a few slices of pizza and then went straight to bed. We convert that meal into energy (calories), but we don’t use that energy right away because we’re sleeping rather than exercising! So, what does our body do with this energy? It saves it for later use. And how does the body store energy? As fat! This is one of the reasons why it is often recommended to eat earlier in the day rather than later.
family and obesity medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, who was not involved in the study, stated that the body’s insulin resistance increases significantly at night due to circadian rhythms.
He noted that during the day, insulin secretion and pancreatic activity increase.
“When the receptors at the back of the retina detect that light is fading, melatonin is secreted from the pituitary gland, which suppresses the pancreas,” Shafipour explained, adding that eating late can be extremely hazardous in both the long and short term.
“If you’re a night owl and you eat late, you’re more likely to develop insulin resistance due to a genetic predisposition.” Higher prevalence of pre-diabetes,diabetic development, things like that. And this is something we commonly observe among graveyard shift workers, such as firefighters, cops, doctors, and medical personnel who frequently work at night,” he explained.
What is the ideal meal to eat later in the day?
It may not be the most popular solution during the holidays, but Shafipour suggests that dinner be the lightest meal you eat.
This includes eating fewer carbohydrates, such as spaghetti, mashed potatoes, and rice, and consuming less dessert and alcohol.
“You want your dinner or the latest meal to be the lowest carbohydrate and simple carbohydrate meal,” according to Shafipour. “So, you know, this would be something with some healthy protein and fat sources, as well as a salad.” So, ideally, you should avoid desserts, alcohol, any form of refined sugar, white rice, white bread, potatoes, and even a lot of fruits, because they include sugar fructose.”
Because of insulin resistance, he noted, there is a daytime window in which those bigger carbs
“The most active time in terms of metabolism is plus and minus an hour between probably about 10 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m.,” Shafipour told CNN.
“So, if you want to improve your insulin sensitivity, eat your larger carbohydrate meals during that window and then try to wind it down by sundown with a lighter dinner. And the lighter dinner will improve insulin sensitivity and promote better quality sleep,” he added.
How does sleep affect glucose metabolism?
The right mix of sleep and eating is essential for metabolism and general health. Because sleep is so vital, Wood believes that maintaining a consistent sleep pattern each night is the most important component.
“Most adults require 7–8 hours of sleep per night. “Getting less or more than that can have a negative impact on our health,” Wood explained.
“I encourage that patients go to bed at the same time every night. This implies that if you go to bed at 10 p.m. on weeknights, attempt to get to bed by 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. on weekends. He said, “The more consistent our sleep schedule, the better.”
Shafipour elaborated on the hormonal changes that occur during Sleep has a huge impact on hunger throughout the day.
“Sleep is also highly important because the hormone leptin, which suppresses appetite, is secreted, and it peaks at 6 or 6 and a half hours of sleep. So a good sleep pattern for an ordinary adult would be 7 to 8 hours so that you get enough leptin and ghrelin, which is the appetite hormone, and don’t stay up too late during the day. So if we sleep less than 6 and a half hours, we’ll be hungry during the day and more likely to hunt for food.”