Study author Dr Chenjuan Gu, from Johns Hopkins University in the US, said: 'On average, the peak glucose level after late dinner was about 18 per cent higher, and the amount of fat burned overnight decreased by about ten per cent compared to eating an earlier dinner.'ĭiet quality was assessed by scoring the food diaries kept by the participants using the Nutrient Rich Food Index, which classifies and ranks foods according to the ratio of important nutrients they contain relative to their energy content. The study found that blood sugar levels were higher, and the amount of ingested fat burned was lower, if a person ate dinner just one hour before bed.
The volunteers all went to bed at 11pm and their body's metabolism was assessed throughout the night as they slept in a special laboratory-bedroom.Īctivity trackers provided data on the individuals while blood sampling was done every hour throughout the night.īody fat scans were also performed and the participants were only fed food with specific labels that allowed scientists to track the rate of fat burning.Īll the data was crunched and published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Researchers studied 20 healthy volunteers, ten men and ten women, to see how dinner time affected overnight digestion. Scientists found that eating shortly before going to bed makes the body less able to process all the nutrients and glucose.Īs a result, people burn ten per cent less fat overnight if they eat at 10pm, compared to having their evening meal at 6pm. Eating dinner late at night can lead to high blood sugar levels and put people at increased risk of being overweight, a study has found.