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Nighttime Snacks Worse Than We Thought

Mouse study shows weight gain more than doubles on opposite schedule

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 5, 2009 1:55 PM CDT

(Newser) – Eating when you should be sleeping—the proverbial midnight snack, say, or the meals of night-shift workers—could put you at higher risk of obesity, Time reports. A new study fed two groups of mice the same high-fat diet on opposite schedules; the group that ate during “normal” waking hours had a weight gain of 20% after 6 weeks, while the other group gained 48%. The mouse study, the first of its kind, mirrors observational research on humans.

“If an experiment like this is replicated in humans, it might clarify for us just how much time of day matters when it comes to obesity,” an expert says. One of the study’s authors says “our bodies are naturally cued to eat at certain times of the day.” As a result, “dining at the wrong time might affect the body's ability to maintain its energy balance.” This has to do with a complex blend of hormones that can spiral out of control if the natural circadian rhythms are upset.

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Midnight snacking. (Shutterstock)

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For a long time we questioned whether or not eating patterns had anything to do with gaining weight. We had no proof that it's a real problem. - Dr. Louis Aronne, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 6 comments

The_Pinkston

Sep 8, 2009 5:53 AM CDT

Great Im a third shift worker! Well at least this is helpful. Ill have to make sure I eat a little bit leaner on my shift.

schmidtkoff

Sep 6, 2009 5:59 AM CDT

all good advice. as i sit here at my comp. at 2:00am! lol. i did take melatonin years ago when i first joined the graveyard shift. and it worked pretty well.

youngblood

Sep 6, 2009 4:39 AM CDT

I found this to be true too but love eating late at night like lots of people but found out if i do something else like a few minutes of exercise, just 50 sit ups or push-ups, it helps take the cravings away to eat late!

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Health

obesity • hormones • eating • scientific study • circadian rhythms • lab mice • midnight snack • chemical imbalance

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Nighttime Snacks Worse Than We Thought