Saturday, September 19, 2009

Night-time eating ups obesity risk

Excessive late-night eating and midnight raids on the refrigerator are linked to increased weight gain and worse health consequences, a new study finds.

Recent studies have reported that circadian rhythms -- the body's internal clock -- have a critical role in how the body spends energy.

According to the study published in the International Journal of Obesity, late-night snackers are more likely to gain weight, adding that mice eating at unusual hours put on twice as much weight, despite exercising and eating as much as others.

Night-fed mice are reported to weight 7.8 percent more than those fed during the day. "Better timing of meals could be a critical element in slowing the ever-increasing incidence of obesity," scientists concluded, claiming that simply changing the timing of meals and snacks can considerably help reduce weight.

Scientists concluded that night-time eating is one factor among many others contributing to weight gain.