Eat earlier, lose weight

Many diets warn against late night heavy meals and snacks as people are more likely to opt for unhealthy dishes.
 

But it is also thought that the body's metabolism is slower then, leading to the weight being stored instead of being burned off.
 

Now scientists have found there is some truth in this.
 

A study of Spanish dieters on a 20 week programme found those who ate their main meal, which is lunch in Spain, before 3pm lost more weight than those who ate it later.
 

This was despite overall calorie intake being similar in both groups.
 

Researchers found late lunchers lost an average of 7.7kg, compared with 9.9kgs for early lunchers, the equivalent of nine per cent and 11.3 per cent of their body weight respectively, over the 20 weeks.
 

The study was conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) in Boston, America, in collaboration with the University of Murcia and Tufts University.
 

The findings were published in International Journal of Obesity.
 

Author of the study Dr Frank Scheer, also director of the Medical Chronobiology Program of BWH, said "Our results indicate that late eaters displayed a slower weight-loss rate and lost significantly less weight than early eaters, suggesting that the timing of large meals could be an important factor in a weight loss programme."
 

The study involved 420 overweight dieters who were divided into two groups, early or late eaters.
Researchers found that timing of the other, smaller meals did not play a role in the success of weight loss.
However, the late eaters -- who lost less weight -- also consumed fewer calories during breakfast and were more likely to skip breakfast altogether.
 

Late-eaters also had a lower estimated insulin sensitivity, which can lead to diabetes.