(07-03-13) What time you eat matters more than how much you eat, study finds

by David Gutierrez, staff writer

(NaturalNews) In trying to gain or maintain a healthy weight, how much you eat
may actually matter less than the timing of your meals, according to a
surprising study conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital,
Tufts University, the University of Murcia, and published in the International
Journal of Obesity.

"This is the first large-scale prospective study to demonstrate that the
timing of meals predicts weight-loss effectiveness," senior author Frank Scheer
said. "Our results [suggest] that the timing of large meals could be an
important factor in a weight loss program."

The study was conducted on 420 overweight people who were categorized as
either early eaters or late eaters, depending upon the time of day at which
they preferred to eat their large meal (because the study was conducted in
Spain, the largest meal of the day was lunch). Anyone who ate lunch before 3 p.
m. was classified as an early eaters, while anyone who ate lunch after 3 p.m.
was classified as a late eater. The average participant consumed 40 percent of
their daily calories at the large meal.

All participants were enrolled in a 20-week weight-loss treatment program. At
the end of the program, the early eaters had lost significantly more weight
than the late eaters, and had lost weight more quickly. Late eaters also
demonstrated a lower insulin sensitivity, indicating that they were at higher
risk for diabetes than the early eaters.

Are early meals processed better?
The researchers found no difference between calorie intake, energy
expenditure, sleep duration, or levels of the appetite-related hormones leptin
and ghrelin between the early and the late eaters. This suggested that the
timing of the meal was, in and of itself, a significant factor influencing
weight loss.

"This study emphasizes that the timing of food intake itself may play a
significant role in weight regulation," lead author Marta Garaulet said. "Novel
therapeutic strategies should incorporate not only the caloric intake and
macronutrient distribution, as it is classically done, but also the timing of
food."

The researchers could not explain why meal timing appeared to be so important,
but suggested that it may have something to do with the body's internal clock,
or circadian rhythm, which scientists are increasingly finding to play a role
in many bodily processes.

"The body deals differently with food depending on the time of day," Scheer
said. "For instance, glucose is cleared more easily from the bloodstream in the
morning than in the evening. And if glucose is not going to the organs and
tissues where it is needed for energy, it could end up being deposited as fat."

It remains unclear whether the study has implications for countries where
dinner is the largest meal of the day, such as the United States.

"We recommend people to eat while they are active during the day," said
obesity researcher David Lau of the University of Calgary. "Typically, I tell
my patients to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and supper like a
pauper."

Sources:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/bawh-ctt012413.php http://www.
theglobeandmail.com

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