Research has found that eating late dinners may not be harmful to our health … if you also eat late breakfast the next day
- Tim Spector of KCL, London, conducted a study of 80,000 adults’ eating habits
- The research found that a late dinner was only healthy if it was followed by a late breakfast
It is common advice that eating late at night can cause weight gain and health complications.
But research has now found that it’s perfectly fine to finish dinner at 9:30 p.m. — if you also have a late breakfast the next day.
Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, conducted a study of 80,000 adults in the UK. Look at the different eating times and time windows in which people eat.
The full results, compiled through personal nutrition company Zoe, won’t be published until later this year, but preliminary results show some can finish their evening meal until 9:30pm – as many do on the continent – while still maintaining a healthy diet. their health and avoid weight problems.
The key is simply to eat breakfast late, ideally at 11:30 a.m. or later, to achieve the 14-hour fasting window that evidence suggests is achievable for most people and good for your metabolism.
But research has now found that it’s perfectly fine to finish dinner at 9:30 p.m. — if you also have a late breakfast the next day.
In the study, this fasting period was widely effective for most people regardless of how late they ate at night.
The idea that earlier dinners are healthier is based mainly on very small studies of young adults, which did not take into account fasting windows or the timing of breakfast, according to Professor Spector.
These studies only show a slight advantage to eating an early dinner, so the benefits are thought to be exaggerated.
Professor Spector, author of Food for Life: The New Science of Eating Well, is a champion of time-restricted eating, which numerous studies have found to be beneficial for metabolic health and weight loss.
And in the study, those who ate late but fasted 14 hours a day reported having more energy.
Professor Spector suggests that, like us, the microbes in our gut have a circadian rhythm and need a break from eating, but people can decide when it’s time for a break depending on their daily schedules.
He said: “Often people eat late because of jobs and kids and they shouldn’t feel guilty about it.
“The important thing is not to snack at night, try not to have breakfast too early and try not to go to bed within two hours of having dinner.”
