Can i eat after 6pm

The invention of electric light has made it far easier to stay up late and keep eating long after sunset, with potential negative consequences for our health file image. However, the invention of electric light has made it far easier to stay up late and keep eating long after sunset, with potential negative consequences for our health. For instance, research recently presented at an American Heart Association conference revealed that the more a woman ate after 6pm, the worse her heart health was, with a greater risk of higher blood pressure and body mass index, and poorer long-term control of blood sugar.

Other studies have found that people who eat late have a greater risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The results of animal studies into compressing the window when food is eaten are compelling. The first group gained weight and began to develop high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes, whereas the group on a time-restricted diet remained relatively slim and healthy — despite consuming the same number of calories.

Remarkably, time-restricted eating was even able to reverse type 2 diabetes in mice. Preliminary research suggests meal timing may also be important for human health, with studies finding that those who eat dinner an hour before bedtime have poorer blood sugar control than those who dine earlier, and that dieters who consume the bulk of their calories before 3pm lose around 25 per cent more weight than those who feast later.

Researchers, however, say it is too early to issue detailed advice on meal timings. Nutritionists at the University of Aberdeen are investigating whether consuming a large breakfast is beneficial for weight loss and if it alters the way people metabolise food compared with consuming a greater proportion of their calories later in the day.

Professor Panda believes the reason time-restricted eating is better for our health is because it provides our guts with more opportunity to repair and recuperate. Up to one-tenth of the cells lining our guts is damaged every day by the normal course of digestion, and eating a late-night meal followed by an early breakfast leaves very little time for any repairs to be made.

It may also be important to keep your meal times, whatever hour you choose to eat, regular. Research from last month, for example, suggests that having breakfast later at weekends than you do during the week will lead to weight gain. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. If eating after 6 p. Weight-management programs that recommend cutting off food at 6 p.

One relevant consideration, however, is the quality of the food you consume after 6 p. If you feel that eating after 6 p. Even if you follow healthy eating guidelines up until 6, you can rack up enough calories in the evening to cause weight gain or to interfere with weight loss. One pitfall of eating at night is the tendency to snack while watching television or to throw a meal together haphazardly without regard to balance, the American Council on Exercise explains.

Make a conscious effort to include a variety of properly portioned, healthy foods in your evening meals and measure out a serving-sized portion of snacks rather than eat from the bag or container. Sleep disorders or lack of sleep may trigger increased appetite, particularly in women, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

So eliminating late-night eating often results in eating healthier. Case in point: When Brigham Young University researchers had 29 young men stop eating between 7 p. When they were allowed to eat at night for the following two weeks, they gained 1. This all came down to calories: When the guys cut out nighttime snacking, they reduced their daily intake by an average of calories.

Check out these things you can do instead of eating mindlessly! You should never push through hunger pangs because of what the clock says. Instead, reach for foods like produce, whole grains, or lean proteins, says Hunnes.