A new study by a team from the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine at Kings College investigated the relationship between snacking habits and cardiometabolic health. According to the results presented, the quality of snacks and the time of day they are eaten have an impact on health. Poor quality snacks – such as processed foods – eaten late in the day are a risk factor for cardiometabolic health. Conversely, better quality snacks – which contain nutrients – can have a beneficial effect on health.
Healthy Snacks
More than 1,000 people took part in the study, 95% of whom had at least one snack a day. A high-quality snack was associated with favorable triglyceride and insulin levels. Evening snackers (after 9 pm) had worse glucose and triglyceride concentrations than daytime snackers.
The research suggests that the quality of snacking is even more important than the quantity or frequency of snacking, as there was no association between the number of calories consumed or frequency of snacking and the health indicators analyzed.
In fact, according to Kate Bermingham, Ph.D., a lead in the study, “Our research highlighted that the quality of snacking holds more significance than the quantity or frequency. It’s advisable to choose high-quality snacks over highly processed ones. Furthermore, late-night snacking has been found to be unfavorable for health.”
In short, snacking is healthy as long as it is done with nutritious foods and in moderation preferably not later than 9 PM.
References
Bermingham, K. (2023, July 26). Bedtime snacks worse for your health. King’s College London. Retrieved August 8, 2023, from https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/late-night-snacks-unfavourable-health
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