Research shows that eating a lot late in the day may increase the risk of diabetes.

Many people tend to eat more at the end of the day after a tiring day of work and study. However, according to experts, eating heavily at the end of the day can increase the risk of developing diabetes.

A recent study published in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes concluded that consuming more than 45% of daily calories after 5 p.m. can impair glucose tolerance. This is particularly noteworthy in older adults with prediabetes or early-stage type 2 diabetes.

Eating large meals late in the day can increase the risk of developing diabetes.

Why is eating a lot in the afternoon or evening bad for your health?

Dr. Pouya Shafipour, a family medicine and obesity physician at Providence Saint John's Medical Center (USA), says the body tends to be insulin resistant at night due to its natural circadian rhythm.

According to Pouya Shafipour, when receptors behind the retina sense decreasing light levels, they signal the pituitary gland to release melatonin. This hormone helps regulate sleep but also inhibits the pancreas, preventing it from secreting insulin.

Therefore, eating heavily at night not only disrupts metabolism but also poses serious long-term health risks.

If you have a habit of eating late at night, your risk of insulin resistance increases. This means a higher chance of developing prediabetes or diabetes. This is common among people who work night shifts, such as firefighters, police officers, doctors, or other healthcare workers who frequently work at night.

Furthermore, the habit of eating late also contributes to overweight and obesity. According to Dr. Nate Wood, a medical lecturer and director of the Department of Culinary Medicine at Yale School of Medicine (USA), the reason is that people tend to be less active in the evening. The body digests the food into calories, but then doesn't use those calories because the body is at rest. Next, the body stores those calories for later use. However, the body stores calories as fat. Therefore, weight gain is common.

Eating late also contributes to being overweight or obese.

An ideal meal at the end of the day to avoid the risk of diabetes.

According to Mr. Shafipour, dinner should be a light, low-carbohydrate meal. Therefore, pasta and mashed potatoes should be avoided, and desserts, certain fruits, and alcohol should be limited.

He said that dinner should be a source of protein and healthy fats, such as a salad.

He added that the time when the body is most metabolically active is from around 10 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. Therefore, to minimize insulin resistance due to circadian rhythms, we should eat carbohydrate-rich foods during that time and gradually reduce carbohydrate intake in meals at dusk and in the evening. This will help limit insulin resistance and promote better sleep.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nghien-cuu-cho-thay-an-nhieu-vao-cuoi-ngay-co-the-tang-nguy-co-mac-tieu-duong-185250104104404228.htm