With a host of research showing that late night eating is linked to great er body weight, it’s no wonder avoiding late night eating has long been suggested to people who plan to lose weight. But until now, few studies have actually investigated (调查) why. This is what a recent US study set out to uncover.
Researchers had 16 participants follow two different meal schedules, each for a period of six days in total. The first group had their meals early in the day with the last meal consumed six hours and 40 minutes before bedtime. The second group had their daily meals four hours later. This meant they skipped breakfast and instead had lunch, dinner and an evening meal. Their last meal was consumed only two and a half hours before sleep. All the participants consumed the same diet, and all of their meals were equally space d with around four hours between them.
The researchers looked at three measures associated with weight gain: the influence of appetite, the impact of eating time on calories burned, and changes of fat tissue (组织). They found that compared to an early eating pattern, late eating not only increased feelings of hunger the following day, it also increased the rate of “hunger” hormones (激素) in the blood. Late eating also caused a decrease in calories burned the following day. Fat tissue samples taken from the participants also showed the increased fat storage. These results suggest that late eating could lead to weight gain.
Given that the study was only conducted on a limited number of participants and over a very short time, more research will be needed to further understand whether these changes are only temporary, and what effects long-term late night eating can have on the weight gain mechanisms (机制).
Anyway, this study adds to a growing body of evidence showing just how important meal timing can be when it comes to body weight. Therefore, people who are watching their weight may want to stay away from the late night snacks and favour eating most of their meals earlier.
【小题1】What is the study designed to do?| A．To provide suggestions on losing weight. |
| B．To prove the findings of the past research. |
| C．To explore why a late night meal causes weight gain. |
| D．To figure out a better meal schedule. |
| A．They had breakfast four hours later than normal. |
| B．They had daily meals roughly every four hours. |
| C．They had some light snacks between meals. |
| D．Their late night meal lasted for about 150 minutes. |
| A．The slow intake of nutrition. | B．The end in feeling hungry. |
| C．The increase in blood pressure. | D．The greater accumulation(累积) of fat. |
| A．A small number of participants and trial days. | B．The different eating times in the two groups. |
| C．Lack of more measures related to weight gain. | D．Limited tissue samples taken from volunteers. |
