Study Looks At Why Late-Night Eating Increases Obesity Risk

Obesity afflicts a significant number of the adult population worldwide and contributes to the onset of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and other conditions.

While popular healthy diet mantras advise against midnight snacking, few studies have comprehensively investigated the simultaneous effects of late eating on the three main players in body weight regulation and obesity risk-regulation of calorie intake, the number of calories you burn, and molecular changes in fat tissue. Now, a new study provides evidence that late eating causes decreased energy expenditure, increased hunger, and changes in fat tissue that combined may increase obesity risk.

"We wanted to test the mechanisms that may explain why late eating increases obesity risk," explained senior author Frank A. J. L. Scheer. "Previous research had shown that late eating is associated with increased obesity risk, increased body fat and impaired weight loss success. We wanted to understand why."