Study of 287 Women Ties Night-Owl Eating to Higher Body Fat and Blood Sugar

3 articles · Updated · Griffith News · Jul 13

287 New Zealand women aged 18-45 showed markedly worse metabolic markers when they followed an evening chronotype, with higher body fat, belly fat, blood sugar and lipids than morning types.
Meal timing, not total intake, drove the gap: both groups ate similar daily energy, but night owls ate less from 3 a.m. to 9:59 a.m. and more from 8 p.m. to 2:59 a.m.
Late eaters were also more likely to consume lower morning energy and protein, then shift to high-energy, high-carbohydrate and high-fat foods at night.
Griffith University researcher Rozanne Kruger said eating during hours normally reserved for fasting and sleep may promote food storage over use, raising obesity and metabolic-disease risk.
The findings, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, suggest reducing late-night eating could be a practical health strategy for people with naturally later bedtimes and wake times.