Does eating late at night really make you gain weight?

Posted March 14, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Denise Musumeci

Section: His Health, Physical Health, His Nutrition, Healthy Eating

Growing up, our parents have always told us not to eat snacks before bedtime. Many health experts agree that eating late at night will make you gain weight. Is there any truth to the theory that eating a large meal late at night is associated with weight gain?

Research has not given us a definite conclusion that supports the theory that eating late makes you gain weight, but there are some suggestions that maintains it. Dr. Louis J. Aronne, director of the comprehensive weight control program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, seems to thing that people who eat late at night tend to eat more than they would during the day. Studies have also shown that eating a big meal before going to sleep elevates triglyceride levels, which have been associated with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and weight gain. Triglycerides are a type of fat that are stored in the body for later use if there are excess calories.

The problem may not lie so much as how much you eat, but the amount of physical activity you do after you eat it. Usually after people eat during the day, they tend to walk around and do their daily activities. But at night, if you eat then go to sleep, you are not burning nearly as many calories because you are resting. Therefore, the body stores these calories as fat because they are not being burned.

If you like having late night snacks or tend to eat dinner late at night, don’t settle down on the couch or lay down in bed afterwards. Go for a walk around the neighborhood or visit the gym that is open late. Another solution for late-night weight gain is to eat foods that have fewer calories and are lower in fat. Put the cookies down and step away from the cake. Try eating fruits or whole-grain cereal instead. The fewer calories you eat before bedtime, the fewer calories that will be stored as fat when you’re sleeping.

Sources and other research information: [New York Times]