Early risers nudge night owls on metabolic health - study

<p>The early bird might get the worm but night owls are paying the price for late-night snacking, a new study suggests. </p> <p>The study, published in Frontiers in Nutrition in July, analysed data from 287 healthy European and Pacific women in New Zealand aged 18 to 45.</p> <p>It compared health indicators among people with morning and evening chronotypes, often referred to as early birds and night owls, over five days. </p> <p>While participants tended to consume the same amount of calories, eating patterns and timing differed reliably between the two groups. </p> <p>Morning types consumed more of their daily energy between 3am and 10am while evening types ate more between 8pm and 3am. </p> <p>Later risers tended to have higher body mass indexes, body fat per centages and abdominal fat along with worse cholesterol and blood sugar markers.</p> <p>The difference likely came down to how the body processed food at different times during the day, Griffith University professor and co-author Rozanne Kruger said.</p> <p>"Our bodies best process food and energy early in the daytime," she told AAP. </p> <p>"When we're in a rest phase, our metabolic health clocks are also in a rest phase."</p> <p>While both groups tended to eat the same number of calories, night owls often skipped large meals and did more energy-dense snacking late at night. </p> <p>Lead co-author, University of Massey lecturer and self-proclaimed night owl Marilize Richter-Cottle said the research had inspired her to reflect on her dietary habits. </p> <p>"I've definitely reflected on my habits, and have started to pay extra attention to mealtimes and bedtime," she said. </p> <p>Despite being a nutrition researcher, Richter-Cottle said she found it difficult not to have her meals crawl later into the evening. </p> <p>"I have to be very conscious about my routines, such as getting daylight immediately when I wake up to reset my internal clock earlier, and I try to mostly stick to a 6 to 7pm cut-off for eating," she said. </p> <p>"But I don't always achieve this, especially if I let myself stay up later than usual."</p> <p>Asked what other night owls should take from the study, she advised cutting off food two to three hours before bed, rather than attempting to overhaul natural sleeping patterns. </p> <p>"It's not just as easy as getting in bed and eating early if your natural rhythm tells you otherwise," she said. </p> <p>Kruger said the findings should not be interpreted as proof night owls were inherently less healthy and pointed to several limitations. </p> <p>For instance, the study only included a limited group of same-sex participants and a relatively small pool of early risers. </p> <p>"I would say that anything about food intake and body weight is not a simple case of people eating too much, or eating too little," she said. </p>