A groundbreaking study by UOC and Columbia University reveals that eating late in the day can negatively impact glucose metabolism, regardless of calorie intake and body weight, potentially increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular issues.
A joint study by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and Columbia University has presented compelling evidence that the time of day when calories are consumed significantly impacts glucose metabolism and overall health. Published in the Nature group journal Nutrition & Diabetes, the research reveals that consuming more than 45% of daily calories after 5 p.m. can elevate glucose levels, posing risks regardless of an individual’s body weight or fat composition.
“Maintaining high levels of glucose over long periods of time can have implications including a higher risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes, an increase in cardiovascular risk due to the damage that high glucose levels do to blood vessels and increased chronic inflammation, which aggravates cardiovascular and metabolic damage,” lead author Diana Díaz Rizzolo, a postdoctoral researcher in the Faculty of Health Sciences at UOC, said in a news release.
The study, conducted at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center in New York, involved 26 overweight or obese participants aged between 50 and 70, all with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
The participants were split into two groups: early eaters, who consumed most of their calories before the evening, and late eaters, who consumed 45% or more of their calories after 5 p.m. Despite identical calorie intake and dietary choices, late eaters showed poorer glucose tolerance.
The significance of these findings lies in their challenge to previous beliefs that late-night eating primarily led to weight gain due to poor dietary choices. The research highlights that meal timing alone can adversely affect glucose metabolism.
“[T]he body’s ability to metabolize glucose is limited at night because the secretion of insulin is reduced, and our cells’ sensitivity to this hormone declines due to the circadian rhythm, which is determined by a central clock in our brain that is coordinated with the hours of daylight and night,” Díaz Rizzolo added.
The study encourages a paradigm shift in nutrition, emphasizing meal timing as a critical factor in maintaining cardiometabolic health.
“Until now, personal decisions in nutrition have been based on two main questions: how much we eat, and what foods to choose. With this study, a new factor in cardiometabolic health is beginning to become increasingly important: when we eat,” added Díaz Rizzolo.
The recommendation drawn from the study is to concentrate calorie intake during daylight hours, particularly at breakfast and lunch, and reduce heavy, high-carb meals in the evening. Díaz Rizzolo also advises limiting ultra-processed foods, fast foods and carbohydrate-rich foods, especially at night.
This study supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Good Health and Well-Being, by providing scientific insights that could help improve global health outcomes.