With more than 20 years of nutrition research, ZOE’s chief scientist Dr Sarah Berry has shared the alarming truth of eating after 9pm and why it’s one of the worst things you can do for your health. The King’s College London professor explained all in a new episode of Steven Bartlett’s Diary Of A CEO podcast show.
Dr Berry is also the lead nutritional scientist on the PREDICT program, the world’s largest in-depth nutritional research programme. ZOE is described as a personalised nutrition company, founded by health experts Tim Spector, Jonathan Wolf, and George Hadjigeorgiou.
In her conversation with Steven Bartlett, Dr Berry discussed the research on what happens to your body after eating late at night. She warned that it has been linked to several potentially harmful health outcomes, such as increased obesity, particularly belly fat, higher inflammation levels, and worsened blood lipid cholesterol profiles.
She warned how this even applies regardless of whether the late-night snacks are considered “healthy”. Dr Berry explained that he timing of our meals, referred to as “chrono nutrition,” plays a crucial role in how our bodies metabolise food, thanks to our internal body clock.
Studies show that a considerable number of people habitually snack after 9pm. Steven Bartlett highlighted some alarming statistics, saying: “85% of British people report snacking compared to 10% in France.”
He added: “In the UK we have 2.5 to three snacks per day, which translates to six or seven eating events a day. This has massive impacts on our glucose spikes and drops throughout the day, causing metabolic chaos.”
However, every cell in our body has an internal clock that is influenced by when we eat, potentially impacting how our metabolism functions throughout the day. “In published research from very tightly controlled clinical trials, we found that if you snack late at night, that was associated with unfavorable health outcomes,” Dr Berry told listeners.
“So worse adipose – fat around your belly for example. Higher levels of inflammation, worse levels of blood lipid, so you know cholesterol. And we found that this was even if you were snacking on healthy snacks.”
Adipose belly fat refers to the fat that accumulates in the abdominal area, which can be classified as either visceral or subcutaneous fat. Visceral fat is located deep inside the abdominal cavity, whereas subcutaneous fat is found right beneath the skin.
She continued: “This isn’t especially surprising because there’s this whole new area in nutrition called chrono nutrition, which is all about the timing of eating and we now are really starting to understand that every cell has a clock and that clock is shaped by when we eat, as well as the light day cycle.
“If we’re eating out of sync with those clocks those millions and trillions of clocks in our body, we know that we metabolise it slightly differently and it may have a different impact on our health and that’s what our research showed as well. So eating after 9pm isn’t great for your health.”
Eating late at night, especially after 9pm, can interfere with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, which might result in heightened hunger, weight gain, digestive problems, and lower quality of sleep. Your body isn’t ideally suited to process food right before you go to bed, which can also impact hormone levels and metabolism.
The study Dr Berry mentioned was published in the National Library of Medicine. Results show a noticeable difference in blood sugar and blood fat levels between the group of people who consumed snacks after 9pm (representing 32% of the study participants) and the group who did not snack at all after 9pm (making up 68% of the participants).
What to do instead:
Eating late at night can contribute to acid reflux and may have adverse effects on blood sugar control, blood pressure, and weight management. To promote better digestion, many experts suggest waiting a few hours after your last meal before going to sleep.
Try to enjoy your biggest meal earlier in the day and gradually reduce your portion sizes as the day goes on. If you find yourself needing a snack before bedtime, choose a small, protein-packed option that is low in carbs and fats. Listen to your body’s hunger signals and steer clear of overeating at any time.
- Eat smaller meals throughout the day
- Avoid foods that trigger heartburn, like spicy and acidic foods
- Avoid alcohol, chocolate, and peppermint before bed
- Pay attention to your food while eating
- Avoid eating in front of the TV
- Choose a portion-controlled snack
Victoria Taylor, Senior Dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Trying to stick to a regular meal pattern, and eating earlier in the day rather than late at night, is unlikely to be harmful and could help our health.”