Scientists Reveal Snacking Isn’t Bad For You – Follow Two Simple Rules

Studies show that snacking is good for your health if you eat more nutritious foods.

This popular practice isn’t bad for your health if you avoid doing it in the evening, King’s College London researchers discovered.

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More than 70% of people admit to snacking at least twice a day, which some experts fear may be to blame. obesity.

But a study of over 1,000 Britons found that what you eat actually matters more when it comes to snacking. health.

Dr. Kate Birmingham said: ‘The quality of snacks is more important than the amount or frequency of snacking, so choose high-quality snacks over snacking.’ highly processed snacks Probably beneficial.

“Timing is also important, and snacking late at night is not good for your health.”

obesity is a serious problem worldwide, with about a quarter of Britons classified as obese and a further 38 per cent overweight.

Some studies have linked snacking to an increased risk of obesity. This is because snacking increases your daily calorie intake. diet.

However, Dr. Birmingham says: energy intake.

“PREDICT tracked large numbers of people and collected detailed information about their snacking behavior, allowing for a more detailed study of snacking on health.”

The latest study, presented at Nutrition 2023 in Boston, used data from the ZOE PREDICT project, a large and in-depth nutrition research group.

Researchers looked at how much people snacked, when and what they ate.

About 13% snack in the morning, 39% in the afternoon, 31% in the evening, and 17% pasture (all-day snack).

They also analyzed people’s blood fat and insulin levels to see how snacking affected them.

Snacking on more nutritious foods was associated with improved blood sugar and lipid levels.

The researchers found that late-night snacking made both of these worse because it shortened the nighttime fast.

People’s snacking amounts, calorie levels, and snack frequency were found to have no effect on health measures.

“Only a weak relationship was observed between the quality of snacks and the rest of the meal,” said Dr. Birmingham.