To Your Health
December, 2025 (Vol. 19, Issue 12) |
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Time Your Eating
By Editorial Staff
Are you morning heavy or evening heavy when it comes to eating? If the bulk of your caloric intake is at night, you could be putting your health at risk. Here's why, and it relates to your glucose (blood sugar) levels.
Adults ages 50-70 with prediabetes or diabetes (and overweight or obese) were divided into two groups based on their eating preference: early eaters, meaning they consumed at least 45% of their daily calories during the day (before 5 p.m.); and late eaters, who did just the opposite, consuming 45% or more of their calories after 5 p.m.
It's important to note that both groups ate the same foods equally the same caloric total; they just did so at different times during the day / night.
Findings revealed that late eaters have poorer glucose tolerance (higher levels of blood sugar) compared to early eaters. In other words, late eaters – who already had prediabetes or diabetes, remember – certainly aren't helping their efforts to get their blood sugar in line. The fact that late eaters also tend to eat more carbohydrates and fat during that time only makes things worse.
The bottom line: Whether you're overweight / obese, prediabetic / diabetic, or none of the above, when you eat matters! As the study authors suggest, the majority of your calories should be consumed at breakfast and lunch, not dinner (or even later than dinner, as is too often the case). A light, early dinner can make all the difference when it comes to your blood sugar – and your overall health.
