A Harvard University study confirms that the timing of the last meal of the day is crucial when it comes to losing weight.
It’s a question many people have asked themselves at some point and now, a Harvard University study suggests that what time of day we choose to enjoy our last meal of the day has as much to do with Just as important is the choice of food. And much more, if what we are looking for is to reduce those extra pounds.
The findings of this research were published in the scientific journal ‘Cell Metabolism’ last October. To accomplish this, 16 people who were obese or overweight were asked to eat the same meal but at two different meal times.
Members of one group ate breakfast, lunch and dinner for six consecutive days, six hours before bedtime.
The rest of the members ate the same food but left it two and a half hours before going to sleep.
During the study period, participants regularly reported their hunger and appetite levels, had their blood tested throughout the day, and had their body temperature and energy expenditure measured. To measure how meal timing affects body fat, Harvard University scientists collected biopsies of adipose tissue.
When analyzing the results, the researchers concluded that when we eat too late, a series of physiological and molecular mechanisms are triggered that increase the risk of obesity:
-Has a profound effect on the hunger and appetite-regulating hormones, leptin and ghrelin, which influence our desire to eat. Levels of the hormone leptin, which signals satiety, dropped in the group that had fewer hours between their last meal and bedtime.
-Calorie expenditure at a very slow rate.
-Increased expression of genes that promote the development of adipose tissue.
That’s why, to avoid weight gain and even to have a quality rest, they recommend ‘European’ eating times: lunch between 12 and 1 pm and dinner between 7 and 8 pm. between. Thus, the level of leptin, the satiety hormone, increases, which contributes to reducing caloric intake. In any case, it is important to note that this method will not work if it is not accompanied by an adequate eating plan and daily physical activity.
