A recent study finds that eating a late dinner can cause weight gain and high blood sugar levels regardless of calories.
Eating dinner at 10 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. may affect your blood glucose and the ability to burn fat.
The study found that late eaters had peak blood sugar levels almost 20 percent higher and fat burning reduced by 10 percent, compared with those who ate dinner earlier.
Conventional wisdom is that a calorie is a calorie, no matter when you eat it, and that weight gain is caused by eating more calories than you use. Nutritionists call this the calories in, calories out theory of weight control.
But it might not be as simple as that. New research discovers that what time you eat may play a significant role in gaining weight.
Eating late associated with weight gain
According to a study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, eating a late dinner is associated with weight gain and high blood sugar levels, regardless if the meal is the same that you would have eaten earlier.
The research team wanted to understand whether late eating actually changes metabolism in a way that promotes obesity.
“So that’s why we set out to do this randomized clinically controlled trial, taking healthy people and make them eat at two different times, control their food, control their diet, and control their sleep times as well,” he said.
Same meals, same sleep time
The team studied 20 healthy volunteers (10 men and 10 women) to find out how their bodies metabolized dinner eaten at 10 p.m. instead of 6 p.m.
All study participants went to sleep at the same time: 11 p.m.
Study findings show that blood sugar levels are higher, and the amount of fat burned lower, when eating a late dinner, even when people ate the same meal.
We weren’t surprised. Other researchers have done similar work looking at circadian rhythms and diet, and other labs have shown that if you eat out of phase with your body’s normal circadian rhythm, you don’t metabolize glucose the same way.
The study found that late eaters had peak blood sugar levels almost 20 percent higher and fat burning reduced by 10 percent, compared with those who ate dinner earlier.
The effects we have seen in healthy volunteers might be more pronounced in people with obesity or diabetes, who already have a compromised metabolism.
Not one size fits all
The most interesting part of this study is that researchers found not everyone reacts to eating late meals the same way.
What surprised me the most was that not everyone was vulnerable in the same way, There was a group, you know if you looked at the pattern of activity in the preceding 2 weeks, people who were accustomed to sleeping earlier did the worst when we gave them a late meal.
According to the study, people that are night owls that ate as late as 2 or 3 a.m. seemed to be unaffected by the change in their meal. “It’s not a one size fits all; there are differences in people’s metabolism that either makes them more vulnerable to late eating or it doesn’t faze them.”
One of the most detailed studies of its kind
Researchers pointed out that this study was much more detailed than previous research on the subject. Participants wore activity trackers, had their blood sampled, underwent sleep studies and body fat scans, and ate food containing nonradioactive markers to measure fat metabolism.
The people got very intensive monitoring performed when they were in the lab. We drew blood every hour, we had their activities and sleep monitored for 2 weeks before they came to the lab. The people were given what’s called a stable isotope tracer trusted source, so when they consumed their food, we could measure how much of the fat they ate was burned or oxidized.
Asked if this study provides conclusive proof that it’s when and not necessarily what you eat that can cause weight gain, the researchers were confident.
Yes, the researchers confirmed this at least shows that there’s biological plausibility or biological explanations for how food timing can affect the way your body handles those calories.
Findings may help guide eating habits
This study provides a reminder that cultivating eating habits addressing not only traditional factors such as meal content and size, but also meal timing, may influence the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease down the road.”
According to the study, dinner is, by far, the largest meal of the day for most adults in terms of calories.
The study explained that busy people typically rush through breakfast and lunch, which often means eating later, and more, than they should. This can leave you yearning for a large meal late at night, which as this study highlights can result in some difficulties with glucose or fat metabolism, even in young individuals with a healthy weight.
What to do?
The study recommended having a small, high protein snack such as Greek yogurt sprinkled with nuts in the late afternoon if you know you’ll be home late.
Curbing appetite a bit so that if you have to eat later than anticipated, it can be a snack-size meal.
Choices could include eating a small salad with grilled chicken, half a sandwich and fruit, or a cup of vegetable soup and a glass of low fat milk.
Aim to eat your largest meal at breakfast or lunch if possible.
The bottom line
A recent study finds eating a late dinner can cause weight gain and high blood sugar levels regardless of calories.
Researchers found that not everyone reacts the same way, and people who were accustomed to earlier bedtimes had the most weight gain from a late dinner. Night owls were the least affected by a change in mealtime.
According to researchers, this is strong evidence that eating a late meal causes weight gain even if you don’t increase the calories consumed.
Experts say, when working long days it’s a good idea to eat a healthy snack in the afternoon to curb your appetite for a late dinner.
Curious about mindful eating? We can give you a taste.

Whether you want to avoid overeating and gaining those extra pounds, you need to control your blood sugar (for example, if you have diabetes), or you simply wish to consume only what your body requires, the holiday season can make that goal challenging.
But mindful eating might help you reach it.
Mindfulness refers to the practice of being aware and in the moment. All too often, our thoughts wander somewhere other than where we are in the moment. Perhaps we are preoccupied with what happened an hour ago, worried about what might happen tomorrow, or stressed over what we need to do next week. Mindfulness encourages us to notice these preoccupations, and then to gently bring ourselves back to the now.
Mindfulness can help you fully enjoy a meal and the experience of eating — with moderation and restraint. Some studies suggest that mindfulness-based practices help improve eating habits. For those who binge-eat or eat for comfort or out of stress, mindful eating may even aid with weight loss.

Are you ready to give mindful eating a shot?
Here are 10 tips for more mindful eating. Not all of these tips may feel right for you — try a few and see how they work.
1. Reflect.
Before you begin eating, take a moment to reflect upon how you feel. Are you rushed? Stressed? Sad? Bored? Hungry? What are your wants, and what are your needs? Differentiate between the two. After you have taken this moment to reflect, then you can choose if you want to eat, what you want to eat, and how you want to eat.
2. Sit down.
Don’t eat on the go. Have a seat. You’re less likely to appreciate your food when you are multi-tasking. It’s also difficult to keep track of how much you are eating when you snack on the go.
3. Turn off the TV (and everything else with a screen).
Have you ever glanced down from your phone or tablet or computer, only to wonder where all the food went? These distractions make us less aware of what and how much we are eating.
4. Serve out your portions.
Resist eating straight from the bag or the box. Not only is it easier to overeat when you can’t see how much you’ve had, but it is also harder to fully appreciate your food when it is hidden from view.
5. Pick the smaller plate.
You might crave less if you see less. Smaller plates will help you with your portion control — an especially good strategy for those all-you-can-eat buffets.
6. Give gratitude.
Before you start to eat, pause and take a moment to acknowledge the labor that went into providing your meal — be it thanks to the farmers, the factory workers, the animals, mother Earth, the chefs, or even your companions at the table.
7. Chew 30 times.
Try to get 30 chews out of each bite. (30 is a rough guide, as it might be difficult to get even 10 chews out of a mouthful of oatmeal!) Take time to enjoy the flavors and textures in your mouth before you swallow. This may also help prevent overeating by giving your gut time to send messages to the brain to say you’re full.
8. Put down your utensil.
Often, we are already preparing the next morsel with our fork and knife while we are still on our previous bite. Try putting down your utensils after each bite, and don’t pick them back up until you have enjoyed and swallowed what you already have in your mouth.
9. Resign from the Clean Plate Club.
Many of us were brought up to finish everything on our plate and were not allowed to leave the table until we did. It’s okay to cancel your membership to the Clean Plate Club. Consider packing the leftovers to go, or just leaving the last few bites. Even though nobody likes to waste food, overstuffing yourself won’t help those in need. (This is also where Tip #5 comes in handy.)
10. Silence.
Try eating your meals in silence once in a while. When it’s quiet, it is natural for the mind to wander; acknowledge these thoughts, and then see if you can gently return to your experience of eating. Be conscious of the food’s consistency, flavor, tastes, and smells, and fully appreciate the moment. Of course, mealtime can be an important time for sharing the day when the whole household gathers, so having an entire meal in silence might be impractical or just feel awkward. But even spending the first five to 10 minutes in silence can be refreshing and set a grateful tone for the rest of the meal.
Mindfulness offers many benefits throughout the year, but can be especially helpful during the holidays, even beyond healthful eating. Purposefully focusing your attention on the present can help you embrace companionship, connectivity, and overall contentment and help make the season more meaningful for you.

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