- A recent study suggests that consuming more than 45% of daily calories after 5 p.m. may lead to elevated blood glucose levels in older adults with prediabetes or early-stage type 2 diabetes.
- Poorly controlled blood sugar can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as elevate cardiovascular risk and contribute to chronic inflammation.
- Experts recommend making dinner the lightest meal of the day, with a focus on fewer carbohydrates and more healthy fats and protein, while avoiding desserts.
- They also highlight the importance of consistent, quality sleep in regulating appetite and maintaining healthy glucose metabolism.
As the holiday season approaches and indulgent meals become more common, a recent study published in Nutrition & Diabetes suggests that many of us should reconsider eating large meals later in the day.
The research, conducted by teams from Universitat Oberta de Catalunya in Barcelona and Columbia University in New York, found that consuming more than 45% of daily calories after 5 p.m. may be linked to poorer glucose tolerance, particularly in older adults with prediabetes or early-stage type 2 diabetes.
Over time, this can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, elevate cardiovascular risk, and contribute to chronic inflammation. While late-night eating has traditionally been associated with weight gain due to a slower metabolism at night, the new study highlights that the timing of meals regardless of weight or overall calorie intake can significantly impact glucose metabolism. The study involved 26 participants aged 50 to 75, all of whom had overweight or obesity and either prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. The participants were divided into two groups: “early eaters,” who consumed most of their daily calories before 5 p.m., and “late eaters,” who consumed 45% or more of their daily calories after 5 p.m. over a 14-day period.
Both groups ate similar amounts of daily calories and macronutrients, but late eaters consumed nearly double the calories after 5 p.m., with higher fat and carbohydrate intake, and tended to have more protein and sugar than the early eaters.
In oral glucose tolerance tests, late eaters showed significantly higher blood glucose levels at 30 and 60 minutes after consumption, indicating poorer glucose tolerance. This trend remained consistent regardless of participants’ body weight, fat mass, total calorie intake, or diet composition.
Eating late is bad for your health?
Dr. Nate Wood, an instructor of medicine and the director of culinary medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, explained to Medical News Today that eating later in the day or into the night can contribute to weight gain. This is largely because people tend to be much less active in the evening, and completely inactive during sleep.
“The issue with eating late at night,” Wood said, “is that we’re taking in calories when our body doesn’t actually require them.”
He went on to clarify:
“Imagine eating a few slices of pizza and then heading straight to bed,” Wood explained. “Your body breaks down the food into energy (calories), but since you’re not active you’re sleeping, not exercising there’s no immediate use for that energy. So, what does the body do with it? It stores it for later use. And how does it store energy? As fat. This is one reason why it’s generally recommended to eat earlier in the day, rather than later.”
Dr. Pouya Shafipour, MD, a board-certified family and obesity medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, who was not involved in the study, explained that the body becomes more insulin-resistant at night due to natural circadian rhythms.
During the day, insulin secretion and pancreatic activity are higher, he said.
However, as light fades, receptors in the back of the retina signal the brain, prompting the secretion of melatonin from the pituitary gland, which then suppresses pancreatic function. “Consuming food late can be detrimental in both the short and long term,”Shafipour explained.”
If you’re a night owl and eating late, you have a higher chance of developing insulin resistance, especially depending on your genetic predisposition.
This can lead to a higher risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.” He also pointed out that this issue is commonly seen in people who work night shifts, such as firefighters, police officers, doctors, and other medical staff.
