The best time to snack is late afternoon

When to snack? The researchers of theUS National Institute on Agingof Brigham and Women’s Hospital of Boston, of the American University Harvardof the Finnish cultural foundation and of theNational Institute of Health of the United States conducted the investigation. It would therefore seem that it is better to snack at the end of the day because that is when you burn the most calories.

A biological reason

“The number of calories people burn at rest varies by time of day. People burn 10% more calories in the late afternoon and early evening than in the early morning”, established the researchers. The reason ? The effect of the circadian rhythm – which includes all cyclical biological processes lasting 24 hours – in the regulation of metabolism.

The researchers followed 7 people for 37 days, locked in a special laboratory where it was impossible to know the time. Each day, individuals’ bedtimes and wake-up times were set four hours later than the day before. The goal ? Disturbing participants’ internal clocks to force their circadian rhythms to follow internal factors.

Regularity is key

For Jeanne Duffy, researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospitalit is necessary to avoid high-calorie foods late at night and early in the morning.

But the researcher wished to recall that snacking was not the only element at stake in the equation: “It’s not just what we eat, but also how much we sleep that affects how much energy we burn or store as fat.”, assured the researcher. “Regularity of habits such as eating and sleeping are very important for general health”.

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