Eating late at night adds weight

Juran

"According to research, late-night snacking really does put on weight" (BBC News 04th Sep '09)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8234386.stm

Mr Magnolia

In other news: Water is wet.

Can't believe they have sub headers of 'Ground Breaking' in this article, must be a slow news day.

El_Dangeroso

I agree, file this under 'Pope = Catholic'. But it's nice to see an empirical experiment for this nonetheless.

rubadub

Sumo wrestlers eat before sleeping, and also skip breakfast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumo#Life_as_a_professional_sumo_wrestler

Rikishi are not normally allowed to eat breakfast and are expected to have a form of siesta after a large lunch. The most common type of lunch served is the traditional "sumo meal" of chankonabe which consists of a simmering stew cooked at table which contains various fish, meat, and vegetables. It is usually eaten with rice and washed down with beer. This regimen of no breakfast and a large lunch followed by a sleep helps rikishi put on weight so as to compete more effectively.

Most beer bellies are made in chippers after the pub, going asleep with all that food & booze soon after.

jimmycrackcorm

The OH has lost a lot of weight but eats such crap at night. The reason for the weight loss is a lack of eating during the day. So I think the real point of this news is that if you eat normally during the day then eating extra calories at night would not be good news.

without this study, I'd never have figured out that I wouldn't put on any weight from the kebab and chips after going to the pub.

callig

Sorry, I think you're all missing the point.

Scientists found that when mice ate at unusual hours

they put on twice as much weight, despite exercising and eating as much as others.

One group of mice ate at times when they would normally be asleep. They put on twice as much weight.

This was despite them doing the same level of activity, and eating the same amount of food, as the other mice

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8234386.stm

So I think the real point of this news is that if you eat normally during the day then eating extra calories at night would not be good news.

That is not the point at all.

What they are saying is that if you eat when you would normally be asleep you can gain more weight than someone with the same calorie intake that doesn't eat during the sleeping hours.

It is thought that sleep, hormones and body temperature all play a part in how we gain weight.

PCPhoto

callig wrote: »

Sorry, I think you're all missing the point.

What they are saying is that if you eat when you would normally be asleep you can gain more weight than someone with the same calorie intake that doesn't eat during the sleeping hours.

so no more waking up in the middle of the night for a pee and a ham sandwich !!!:(

tscul32

It's still pretty obvious - if you're asleep just after you eat then your food gets digested without you having the chance to burn off loads of the calories in it.

El_Dangeroso

tscul32 wrote: »

It's still pretty obvious - if you're asleep just after you eat then your food gets digested without you having the chance to burn off loads of the calories in it.

I think it also has to do with the hormone cycles in your Circadian rhythms.

I looked this up when I was working night shifts and on a diet. Couldn't lose a pound until I was back on days. I think eating at 4am confused the hell out of my metabolism, even though it was like 3pm in the day for me sleep-wise.

Edited to say: Here is another study, this time on humans:
de Castro JM. The time of day of food intake influences overall intake in humans. Journal of Nutrition 2004 134:104-111

rubadub

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

I think it also has to do with the hormone cycles in your Circadian rhythms.

There was a program on TV a while ago with people attempting to beat jet lag, one guy did not eat on the plane or before the long flight, this was daytime but would have been sleeping time once he got home. Then when he landed he had a big breakfast to show the body it was wakeup time. He seemed to have less jet lag than the other guy who ate on the plane. They did some sort of co-ordination tests on them.

But I wonder about people trying to put on weight, like bodybuilders, I have heard most repair is mean to be done in your sleep, so would they be better eating before bed, it could be more economical too if the same food has more effect at putting on weight. Or would it more likely be fat?

I know some weight-trainers will drink caesin shakes before bed, and I have read of some waking up during the night on purpose to eat.

El_Dangeroso

rubadub wrote: »

But I wonder about people trying to put on weight, like bodybuilders, I have heard most repair is mean to be done in your sleep, so would they be better eating before bed, it could be more economical too if the same food has more effect at putting on weight. Or would it more likely be fat?

I know some weight-trainers will drink caesin shakes before bed, and I have read of some waking up during the night on purpose to eat.

I know melatonin increases the production of insulin growth factor, and you need a small insulin spike to convert the amino acid tryptophan to 5htp and then melatonin. So I think eating before bed might encourage both fat acumulation and muscle repair, and body builders can probably handle a little extra calorie load without too much fat gain.