What is the best time for dinner for your health?

Many people pay particular attention to what is on their plate at dinner time, aimed at eating both nutritious and tasty food. But the timing of meals is often a reflection afterwards, with dinner being only after work, childcare, social plans and other obligations.

An increasing set of research, however, suggests that What You eat is not the only factor that influences health. When You eat is also important– and in the case of dinner, suggest studies, The first birds are right.

Humans have “bodily clocks that regulate our physiology and our behavior to such an extent that we are not the same person in the morning as we are in the evening,” PhD, director of the medical chronobiology program of Brigham and Women’s Hospital said, said Health.

It means The same meal can have different effects on your body depending on the moment you eat it.

Daisy Duan, MD, assistant professor in the department of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, has demonstrated this in his research.

A study by his team analyzed what happened when 20 young healthy adults ate the same dinners twice: once at 6 p.m., and once at 10 p.m. after the last meal, their blood sugar level has increased more and more and the treatment of fat decreased, compared to after the previous meal.

Late dinners also seem to hit differently, that someone eats just before bed or give time to digest before sleeping, according to one of Duan’s recent experiences.

Why then? Scheer’s research suggests melatonin – a hormone that your body secretes at night to help prepare for sleep – plays a role. The increase in melatonin levels seems to interfere with the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, which potentially leads to higher and more durable points after eating, he explained.

Scheer and his colleagues have also shown through laboratory research that people are hungry and burn fewer calories if they dine late compared to the day, and the consumption of late triggers triggers fabric changes that promote fat gain.

Many studies on the meal calendar are carried out in laboratory environments carefully controlled for short periods, so that they do not translate perfectly in real conditions.

But on the basis of the laboratory results, it is reasonable to “speculate” only if someone Eat dinner late, they can be at Higher risk of metabolic health problems, Including type 2 diabetes and obesity, said Duan Health. Many studies have indicated this connection.

On the other hand, other studies have shown that calories with front loading earlier in the day can contribute to Weight loss and improvements in metabolic health markers.

And it is not only the metabolic health that seems to be linked to meals. Other recent research from Duan suggests that People who don’t eat after 18 hours sleep more that those who are free to graze until midnight.

Late food can even be linked to a higher risk of death, According to a study that gives to think 2024.

In the end: “For most people, it would be better to limit the amount of food consumption during night hours,” said Scheer.

Scientists have not identified a single “best” time of dinner – but it is sure to say that “avoiding late eating is probably the best for your metabolism,” said Duan. Try to give yourself at least two hours, and ideally more, Between dinner and bedtime, She recommended.

Aimed at dinner at a given time Between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.. is generally a good goal, said Collin Popp, PHD, assistant professor in the health department of the Population of the Nyu Grossman School of Medicine who studied the timing of meals.

But, of course, sometimes life bothers and forces you to eat later. Do not stress too much, especially if it is one thing once in your time, says Popp. Just try not to eat a “huge meal where you are from Thanksgiving Day-Suffed” shortly before bedtime, he said Health.

In fact, research generally suggests that Dinner should not be your biggest meal of the day, Unlike the American standard. “Eat most of your calories earlier during the day, near the moment you wake up or even in the middle of the day,” Popp recommended.

If you are used to eating late, either because of your schedule or your appetite, it may be difficult to move to a previous meal.

To smooth the transition, Start making changes earlier during the day, Popp suggested. If you usually jump breakfast and exchange a quick lunch at your office, you will probably be voracious in the evening. Prioritize meals at the start of the day And make sure they contain a lot of healthy protein, fiber and fat so that you are not so hungry at night, Popp said.

Some people also find it useful to define a “Cutting time” after which they stop eating, Rather than firing vaguely for a meal earlier, added Popp.

If you use this approach, It’s ok to take baby steps, Said Duan. Start by closing the kitchen for 30 minutes before going to bed, then an hour, etc. “You have to meet where you are,” she said. “Start there.”