A new study from King's College London has found that eating snacks late at night may be more harmful to health than snacking earlier in the day. Researchers observed that people who consumed most of their snacks after 9pm experienced larger spikes in blood sugar and higher concentrations of blood fats compared to those who snacked earlier.
The study analysed data from 1,000 participants in the Zoe Predict project, who kept food diaries and wore blood sugar monitors. On average, participants ate two snacks per day, with one in three 'late evening snackers' consuming most of their snacks after 9pm rather than between meals.
High blood sugar and fat levels are known risk factors for diabetes and heart disease. The researchers also found that the quality of snacks was more important than quantity or frequency. Snacking on nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables led to better blood fat and insulin responses compared to processed snacks such as biscuits and cake.
Lead author Kate Bermingham, a postdoctoral fellow at King's College London, said: 'Our study showed that the quality of snacking is more important than the quantity or frequency of snacking, thus choosing high quality snacks over the highly processed snacks is likely beneficial. Timing is also important, with late night snacking being unfavourable for health.'
The findings were presented at a meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.
