When I first learned of this study I was angry. After all I , and most Americans, work until 5 or 6 p.m. so what are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to have dinner prior to 5 p.m. if most of us are just leaving work? Then I slowly became fearful. What are these serious health consequences of eating after 5?
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Health Consequences Of Eating After 5
It is well known that if you want to lose weight dinner should not be your largest meal of the day. However now researchers are finding that there is more than just interrupted weight loss at stake. The Daily Mail shares that researchers from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and Columbia University have made a discovery. They revealed that, "eating at least 45 percent of your daily calories after 5 pm hinders the body's ability to regulate blood sugar levels."
Seeing as dinner is often American's largest meal of the day that is alarming. Hindering the body's ability to regulate blood sugar greatly increases the risk of developing diabetes. Thus meaning that eating a hearty dinner after 5 p.m. increases your chances of developing diabetes. This gives credibility to those who follow the intermittent fasting diet.
Those individuals typically only eat between a six-hour window of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. One of the study's co-authors explained why our body struggles with regulating sugar levels at night. She said, "The body's ability to metabolize glucose is limited at night, because the secretion of insulin is reduced, and our cells' sensitivity to this hormone declines due to the circadian rhythm, which is determined by a central clock in our brain that is coordinated with the hours of daylight and night."
The Study
In the study there were two groups, early eaters and later eaters. However they were all given the same food with the same amount of calories. Those in the group that ate later, "had higher glucose levels after a glucose test, suggesting poorer glucose tolerance." Although it should be reported that all individuals in the study were "people 50 to 75 years old who were overweight or had obesity and prediabetes or type 2 diabetes."
Researchers also pointed out another reason for health consequences eating after 5 brings. The average person eats more dense and often processed food at night. This could also be linked to why late-night eating and weight-gain are linked. This study is now proving that it not only matters how much you eat and what you eat. Now, it also matters when you eat. Oh goodness, make it stop.
If you can't help the fact that you and your family have to eat dinner after 5 p.m. then focus on the other two areas. The how much you eat and the what you eat. Try to not make dinner your biggest meal of the day. Additionally ensure that dinner is healthy, packed with vitamins and minerals.
