Does having dinner later or bringing the midday meal forward have an influence on us having extra kilos or does it cost us to get rid of the cartridge belts? It is not clear, because more than the schedules, the advice of nutritionists is usually related to the number of intakes – five a day – and its copiousness : you should not skip breakfast, the main meal should contribute between 35% and 40% of calories, dinners have to be light, and so on.
A recent study carried out by the University of Barcelona, the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and the University of Murcia gave some clue in this regard: it seems that patients with morbid obesity who undergo bariatric surgery to lose weight have more problems when it comes to maintaining the line if they take the main meal after three in the afternoon , a very Spanish custom.
Specifically, 70% of the so-called “primary failures” postponed sitting at the table . This, according to the researchers, would indicate that the schedule affects the functioning of the circadian rhythms and, consequently, alters the metabolism.
However, a study carried out with 1,600 British children between the ages of 4 and 18, published in the British Journal of Nutrition , indicates that dining out late – after 8 pm in England – does not significantly increase the predisposition to obesity , as many believed until now. Experts from that country indicate, however, that the time-overweight connection is still very little studied and that it should be investigated together with other factors, such as the importance of breakfast in the diet and the quality of sleep.
