VIDEO CREDIT: Youtube.com/PictureFit
A previous study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that "nighttime eaters" ingested more calories compared to those who don't like snacking at night. This led researchers to suggest that in order to facilitate weight loss, a person must ignore his/her nighttime craving, especially before hitting the sac. However, Picture Fit, a health and fitness YouTube channel believes there's more to it than that.
According to them, there are three theories regarding late-night snacking and weight gain.
Theory #1: Our Metabolism slows down as we sleep.
- This implies that if we eat before we go to bed, the calories we ingested burn slower than the snacks we had during the day, which is totally false. Study reveals that the metabolism slows very little at night, or not at all. And even if it did, the energy being used to keep our heart, lungs and brain active is considered a calorie burner already.
Theory #2: The physiological effect of elevated insulin on fat storage.
- The food we eat at night is stored as fat because of the increased insulin present in our blood stream. While it is true that insulin levels are usually low in the morning, research shows no difference in levels no matter if it's day or night. So ultimately, gaining weight from the food we eat with those increased levels could also be true after we have breakfast.
Theory #3: How our body stores carbohydrates.
- The unused carbs are stored in our body as glycogen, however if we have already enough glycogen, the carbs will be stored as fats. There is no evidence that the time of the day determines how our body store carbs. It's not when we eat, but the kind of food we eat before bed that matters.
So if we snack on sugary, high caloric food, then it could eventually lead us to gain weight, especially if we don't do something to burn it off when we are awake.
