Study: When you eat is just as important as what you eat

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Research shows it is not healthy for people to eat overnight. That’s a problem for people who work the night shift. A new study suggests when you eat may be as important or more important than what you eat.

The study from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital explained why shift workers are more prone to health risks than day workers.

“We all have this internal body clock that primes us for consuming food during the daytime and to be fasting during the nighttime hours,” said Christopher Morris, a physiologist at the hospital. “But in shift workers what happens is they actually consume food during the nighttime hours when the body clock is sending them signals which would not be so helpful for processing nutrients.”

Doctors say shift workers have an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and high blood sugar.

This new study finds when you eat a meal at night, blood sugars rise more than if you eat the exact same meal in the morning.

Morris suggests people should not only consider what they’re eating, but they should also consider when they’re eating as well.

Experts say the best time to eat is in between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

This was a small study that only tracked 14 individuals.

These same researchers said they are also studying whether chronic shift workers ever really adapt enough to protect their health.