Welcome to my blog! So, do you eat late at night? Do
you snack before bed? What do you eat? Is it healthy? Are you diabetic? Well,
there is plenty of research that shows the negative effects of eating and there
is also research that shows the positive effects that it has. Let’s look at the
old and new perspectives on eating at nighttime.
Introduction Nighttime eating, especially before bed, has
received a lot of attention over the years. Limiting or avoiding food all
together before bedtime has been researched as both a weight loss strategy and
an approach to improve health and body composition. Negative outcomes have been
demonstrated with large meals in populations that consume a majority of their food
intake during the night. However, data is beginning to add up suggesting that
negative outcomes may not be consistent when the food choice is small,
nutrient-dense, low energy foods or single macronutrients. From this
perspective, it appears that a bedtime intake of nutrients can promote positive
physiological changes in healthy populations. In addition, the research also demonstrated
that when nighttime intake of food is combined with exercise training, any
adverse effects appear to be eliminated in obese populations. In addition, Type
I diabetics, and those with glycogen storage disease, eating before bed is
essential. Nevertheless, the research suggests that consuming small single
nutrient meals does not appear to be harmful and may be beneficial for muscle
protein synthesis and cardiometabolic health. As with many research studies, further
research is warranted to see what the effects of late-night meals and exercise
has on healthy populations. Old
Perspective The
research conducted suggested that in healthy normal weight adult men when
identical meals were consumed either, morning, noon, or night, the thermic
response to that meal appeared to be lower with the nighttime meal. This would
indicate to me that the nutrients that were taken in changes throughout the day
and that consuming meals at nighttime would cause someone to overeat, or
consume more calories, which in turn would cause weight gain. Another
study done with shift workers who appeared to have NES- Nighttime Eating
Syndrome, consumed most of their total daily calories after dinner. While the
epidemiological data suggests that consuming most of your daily calories at
night might have severe health effects over time. This data also suggests that
shift workers, mainly nighttime workers, are at an all-time risk of developing
negative health outcomes. According to the National Library of Medicine, night shift workers tend to have a higher
prevalence of overweightness, abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides,
dyslipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance, and decreased kidney function compared
to day workers https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425165/.The
study went on to report that NES is associated with obesity. However, it is
worth mentioning that the study is unclear as to whether obesity is a
consequence or cause of NES. So, you must keep that in mind too. But here at
Harmony Shift, we are all about keeping shift workers safe, giving them the
right tools and resources to live happier, healthier lives. New Perspective Recent
studies examined the results of low-energy nutrient intake that occurred near
sleep and reported positive findings. Overnight periods represented a 6–8 h
window of time to potentially optimize health, metabolism, and overall human
performance. It is well documented that improvements in muscle protein
synthesis, glycogen resynthesis, anabolic hormones, and performance outcomes
are optimized if nutrients are consumed near exercise. The benefits of a
nocturnal supply of nutrients during the overnight period may have a pivotal
role in sport and performance nutrition. Individuals, athletes, and fitness buffs
are constantly looking for ways to maximize physiological adaptations, achieve
optimal body composition, and improve performance. Protein
intake prior to sleep is common among active individuals but until now,
evidence-based outcomes from this practice were nonexistent. Casein protein
consumed before sleep could improve post-exercise recovery. Following a full
day of dietary intake, sixteen active males performed a single 45 min bout of
resistance type exercise in the evening. Following the exercise routine all
participants were given identical post-exercise beverages. Those that received
the casein protein before sleep had higher plasma essential amino acid
concentrations. This research suggests that protein ingestion before sleep was
effectively digested and absorbed. The increase in amino acid availability
translated to higher whole-body and muscle protein synthesis rates.Conclusion In
conclusion, more research is obviously warranted, however, it does give you a
new perspective in consuming protein prior to bedtime and near exercise. My
suggestion is if you workout in the morning or afternoon, do not consume the
protein at night before bedtime, take it within 2 hours of exercising. I
hope this gives you a little information and maybe some extra research to
decide what works for you. Checkout the link provided and read up on the
research that was conducted. It is interesting.
Until next time. Take care, Darren
Harmony Shift 