When should you eat? It’s just as important as what you eat. - National Geographic UK

Fat cells also appear the most insulin sensitive early in the day, with a peak at noon; they are about 50 percent more sensitive midday than they are at midnight. This means that your body is primed to eat at certain times. In fact, eating at the “wrong” time can throw off everything. In a study of mice, those given access to food at the “wrong” time, when they typically sleep, ate more when food first became available—10 percent more total calories during a day—and gained more weight.

Research is starting to show the same effects in humans. One study on weight loss that compared the times of eating among participants over a 20-week period revealed that those who ate lunch earlier lost more weight than those who ate it later. A related study found that those who ate later burned less energy than those who ate earlier.

A gutsy rhythm

Your gut has more to do with your eating habits than just the hungry roar that comes from it. In fact, it’s manipulated by an ecosystem of bacteria—called a microbiome—that influence many, many parts and systems of your body. The bacterial species that inhabit your microbiome can change—and that’s a good thing; people with more diversity of bacteria in their gut seem to be healthier than people with less.

You can influence that diversity by not only what you put in your mouth but also when you eat. In studies of mice, it has been found that many types of gut bacteria populations fluctuate throughout the day on a rhythmic cycle. In one study that analysed mice faeces, researchers found that when the mice were active, they saw more signs of cellular activity that promoted metabolism, cell growth, and repair. When the mice were resting, the researchers found more genes related to activities like detoxification.

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When should you eat? It’s just as important as what you eat. - National Geographic UK
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