Eating before bed increases hunger and decreases caloric expenditure, study says

A new study by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and published in Cell Metabolism has found that eating your last meal closer to bedtime decreases energy expenditure, increases hunger and causes changes in adipose tissue. These factors, taken together, can increase the risk of obesity.

The research involved the participation of 16 overweight or obese participants who were divided into two groups: one who ate their last meal four hours before bedtime and another who ate close to bedtime. The groups were followed for three days – a short exposure time, as stated by the experts interviewed by the Sheet.

About three weeks before starting the protocols, these people maintained fixed sleep and wake schedules, and for the three days before entering the lab, they strictly followed their diets and meal times.

According to the study, obesity affects an estimated 650 million adults worldwide and contributes to the global burden of chronic disease and disability by raising the risk of a wide range of health problems, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

“The objective was to investigate the direct effect of mealtimes and, for that, they excluded some environmental and behavioral factors”, says the nutritionist of BP – A Beneficência Portuguesa de São Paulo, Rodrigo Moreira Rodrigues.

As a result, the researchers found that eating close to bedtime increases waking hunger. In addition, late eating also affected the ghrelin-leptin ratio, hormones that respectively regulate hunger and satiety. Another perceived impact was the decrease in energy expenditure and changes in body fat.

“Ghrelin and leptin are two important hormones for metabolic regulation”, points out Marcio Mancini, endocrinologist and vice-president of the Department of Obesity at SBEM (Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabology).

“In this study, what was basically noticed was that leptin decreases and ghrelin increases, which indicates that eating at night ends up being a ‘hand brake’ for those who want to lose weight”, highlights Mancini.

“If I have less leptin available, I will have less signaling to stop eating. And with the increase in the ghrelin-leptin ratio, I have an impulse to eat”, adds nutritionist Rodrigo Moreira.

The endocrinologist says that man is a diurnal being and, therefore, his body is programmed for the cycle of sleep and wakefulness. In addition to dietary changes, sleep changes also impact your digestive metabolism.

“When we look at night workers such as nurses and subway workers and compare them with their daytime colleagues, we notice a metabolic, weight and even blood pressure change in those who have ‘switched’ sleep”, he evaluates. “Human beings were not born to invert these functions”.

Despite bringing news, Moreira points out that the research has its limitations.

“This study has a very small number of participants, and they themselves talk about the limitations.” “The work brings a new perspective, but we don’t know if it will last in the long term. So, they follow the usual healthy habits recommendations”.