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Night Owls Pack on Pounds: Study Reveals Fat Link
16 Jul
Summary
- Late sleepers tend to store more fat and have higher cholesterol levels.
- Meal timing, not total food intake, influences health outcomes.
- Reducing late-night eating may improve health for evening chronotypes.
New research published recently in Frontiers in Nutrition suggests a strong link between being a 'night owl' and increased body fat and cholesterol levels. A study involving 287 women aged 18-45 in New Zealand discovered that individuals with later sleep patterns consumed energy-rich foods primarily in the evening and nighttime.
This late-night eating pattern was associated with storing food as fat rather than burning it, leading to higher body fat percentages and elevated blood fats. The findings, originating from research at Griffith University, indicate that meal timing is as critical as food content for health. Reducing late-night eating could be a key strategy for those with evening chronotypes to improve their health markers.
