Is it bad to eat late at night?

Question: I’ve heard that eating too late at night is bad for your health. Is this true?

Is it bad to eat late at night?

Many of us reach for comfort foods like ice cream and takeout after a long day. But making a late-night snack habit could have unintended consequences for your health, experts say.

According to a recent study of the eating habits of more than 34,000 American adults, nearly 60 percent said it was normal for them to eat after 9 p.m.

Our bodies have evolved to process nutrients during the day — and to conserve and store energy at night, says Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a nutrition and sleep scientist at Columbia University. And disrupting that natural rhythm can cause problems, she said.

Multiple studies have foundfor example, that eating within three hours of bedtime can worsen symptoms of heartburn or acid reflux.

And limited research has suggested that food An Unpleasant three hour before bedtime is associated with more disturbed sleep and

The most intriguing research on late-night eating, however, has focused on its relationship with body weight and metabolic health, says Frank Scheer, a neuroscientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

In a Study from 2019 of nearly 900 middle-aged and older American adults, Dr. For example, Scheer and his colleagues found that those who consumed about 100 calories or more within two hours of bedtime were about 80 percent more likely to be overweight or obese than those who did not eat them during that window. Researchers have found similar results in adults in the Netherlands Sweden And Japan.

And in one 2023 study Of more than 850 adults in Britain, those who regularly snacked after 9 p.m. had higher levels of HbA1c, a marker of diabetes risk, and bigger spikes in blood sugars and fats after daytime meals than those who did not typically consume late-night snacks .

Such studies cannot prove that eating late at night directly causes weight gain or other health problems because other factors, such as our genetics, exercise and sleep, also play a role, he said. But recent research controlling for these factors is beginning to reveal direct effects of meal timing on health.

Why eating late may be harder on your body

In a Trial 2022asked Dr. Scheer and his colleagues assigned 16 overweight or obese adults to live in a laboratory where their meals, exercise and sleep were carefully controlled. All subjects followed two different eating schedules, each for six days: one schedule allowed breakfast shortly after waking, lunch in the afternoon, and dinner in the early evening; and the other shifted meals four hours later, with dinner around 9 p.m

The participants consumed the same amounts of nutrients and calories in both routines. Still, they felt hungrier with the later meal schedule than with the earlier one. At the same time, their levels of the hormone leptin (which signals fullness) were lower throughout the day, and their levels of ghrelin (which signals hunger) were higher.

They also burned fewer calories. And multiple other small studies have discovered that people burn less fat if they eat late.

Together, these findings suggest that late-night eating may cause weight gain, said Dr. Shave, although longer term studies are needed.

Research also found that carbohydrates consumed in the evening result in larger blood sugar spikes than those consumed earlier in the day, said Erin Hanlon, a behavioral neuroscientist at the University of Chicago. That’s partly because melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone that increases in the evening, dampens sleep secretion of insulinthat regulates blood sugar levels, she added.

Elevated blood sugars can ultimately damage blood vessels and increase the risk of developing high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, said Dr. St-Onge.

How to time your nightly eating

Research shows that, if possible, it’s best to eat three to four hours before your usual bedtime, said Dr. St-Onge.

That timing is likely better for your long-term health, and can also reduce symptoms of acid reflux, which can disrupt sleep, added Dr. Hanlon to it.

If you work shifts, eating late at night may be unavoidable. But if you can, said Dr. Shave, then try it eat your largest meals between approximately 7am and 7pm

Timing your eating and sleeping can be “a bit of a juggle,” said Dr. St-Onge. You don’t want to eat a large meal too close to bedtime, but you also don’t want to go to bed hungry.

Dr. Scheer also warned that some people, such as those struggling with low blood sugar or getting enough nutrition, may need to eat at night.

If you eat later in the evening, Dr. St-Onge recommends opting for smaller, more nutritious meals or snacks that don’t contain a lot of fat or added sugar, such as yogurt with fruit, vegetables with hummus or almond butter on top. whole wheat toast.