Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Why You Should Skip Your Snack During Nighttime?

Many people may have the habit of eating snacks during nighttime but it seems that this is probably not a good choice. It seems that such behavior might have even worse consequences than just indigestion.

In a study in mice conducted by researchers from Northwestern University in Illinois, mice fed during daytime (when they normally would be sleeping) gained more weight than those fed at night. The weight gain of these day-fed mice was 7.8 percent more than that of the night-fed mice. All these mice were fed identical amounts of food and exercised the same amount. Their findings appeared on September 4, 2009 in the International Journal of Obesity.

The researchers pointed out that the body weight could greatly be affected by simply changing the time of feeding. For example, mice fed a high-fat diet only during the dark would weigh very much less than those mice normally fed less during the light.

Overweight and obesity have been the concern of many health experts because these conditions might bring about other health hazards like diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), and even heart disease. The findings might help educate people modify their eating habits so as to avoid gaining weight without even knowing why.

For instance, it is possible to change the timing of meals and snacks, which could mean eating more in the daytime and cutting back on the late-night ice cream or other desserts.

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