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Colleen Woods, MS, RDN
- Dec 6, 2018
- 1 min read

5 Ways That the Time You Eat Can Affect You

Have you ever wondered if besides what you eat, when you eat has an effect on health or weight? While there is still a lot of research being done on this question, recent studies are showing that the timing of specific food groups and meals may affect our health. Here’s how:

Eating dinner before 9pm or more than 2 hours before heading to bed may afford you a 20 percent lower risk of breast & prostate cancer than those who eat after 10pm and/or go to bed within 2 hours of dinner. Finishing eating earlier in the day is also linked to eating less calories & to weight loss. Just as night-shift workers have increased risk for breast & prostate cancer associated with interrupted circadian rhythms, a theory is that eating late affects the circadian rhythm.

Try to eat before 9pm and stay up for more than 2 hours after you finish your dinner to decrease cancer risk and manage your weight.

Similar to dinner, a small study showed that eating lunch later (4:30pm) resulted in women burning less calories and using less of the sugars they ate. When sugars aren’t used, they are stored as fat. This can lead to weight gain and type 2 diabetes. However, women who ate lunch earlier, by 1pm, burned more calories and used more of the sugar as energy.

Studies also are looking at the effect of eating earlier in the day on the microbiome. One study showed a change in bacteria of the gut when people ate most of their food before 2pm. Researchers believe these bacteria (Ruminococcus, Akkermansia, Butyricimonas) can improve health, specifically related to metabolism.

Again, try to time your meals for earlier in the day starting with breakfast when you wake up, lunch by 1pm, and dinner before 9pm. (The study focused on 32 women. Further studies are needed to determine if the results can apply to men and the general population.)

Eating carbs last can decrease your blood sugar spikes. When carbs are eaten as the last portion of the meal, the hormones insulin and incretin have already been primed for release into your blood by the protein. As a result, when the sugar hits the bloodstream, it is quickly cleared away by insulin and your blood sugar stays within reasonable levels. (The study has only looked at people with type 2 diabetes, so it's too early to tell if the results can apply to everyone.)

If you’re eating a meal such as chicken with rice and vegetables, eat the chicken (or other protein) first. This not only manages blood sugars, but may satisfy you before the starch is even touched.

Eating more often during the day is linked with weight loss, more controlled blood sugar, decreased obesity risk, reduced insulin resistance, lower cholesterol, & less risk of diabetes.

Keep the number of calories the same, but spread them out as 5-6 smaller meals per day, rather than 3 large meals. Be sure to eat breakfast, and the earlier you can finish your eating in the day, the more positive effects you may notice.

“Intermittent fasting” means going long periods (16–48 hours) with little or no food, complemented by periods of eating normally, on a recurring basis. Improvements in health and weight have been shown as a result of short, periodic fasts. Not eating for as little as 16 hours can burn fat, repair cells, and prevent disease. It can also improve insulin sensitivity (preventing type 2 diabetes) & reduce heart disease risk factors.

While there are benefits of intermittent fasting, there are also consequences. A number of factors can affect the outcome of fasting including health status, length of fast, and types of foods eaten outside of the fast. If you’re interested in intermittent fasting, speak to a health care provider to find out how to customize your eating and fasting patterns to prevent negative effects.

These are all preliminary studies and results can vary outside the lab, from person to person. Before making any changes, it’s important to speak with your health care provider on possible consequences of changing your eating habits.

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Click through the slideshow to find out how the timing of your meals and snacks can affect your health.

#timingoffood #timingofmeals #WhattimeofdayshouldIstopeating

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