Gaining weight despite eating less or exercising? It might be the result of a common habit of yours.
Most people know that the quantity of food plays an important role in health and body weight, but a new study has found that the timing of meals is also crucial.
The study from Ewha Womans University in South Korea examined the relationship between meal timings and body weight.
The research explored how meal timings and sleep affect body weight as people age.
Data from 9,474 individuals was analyzed for this purpose.
These individuals provided details about their food intake, meal timings, and other factors, and their sleep duration was also recorded. This data was then compared with changes in body weight.
The participants’ body weights were monitored for three and a half years, during which nearly 10% of them became obese.
The study found that individuals who habitually ate after 9 PM had a 20% higher risk of obesity compared to others.
Eating late at night increased the risk of obesity by up to 34%, especially in men.
In contrast, women who ate late at night had a higher risk of developing belly fat, particularly when their sleep duration was less than six hours.
The findings of this research were recently published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.
This is not the first time a link between late-night eating and obesity has been discovered.
A previous study published in the journal Cell Metabolism in October 2022 found that the habit of eating late at night increases the risk of obesity and body weight gain.
That study involved 16 obese individuals, each of whom was assigned specific meal timings and asked to eat the same type of food.
The effects of meal timings on the body were also examined, including how the body stores fat.
The results showed that the habit of eating late negatively affects the hormones that regulate hunger and appetite, increasing the desire to eat more.
The study found that individuals who ate late burned calories more slowly and accumulated more body fat.
Other research reports have shown similar results.
A study from Johns Hopkins University found that young people who ate at 10 PM burned less body fat compared to those who ate at 6 PM. Additionally, their blood sugar levels were 20% higher, increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes over time.
According to researchers, this highlights that not only what you eat but also when you eat is important.