Does it matter when you eat?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:45:17 +0000

There have been many different theories regarding when and how often an individual should eat, among them: including vs. skipping breakfast, not eating anything before bedtime, and eating several smaller meals vs. fewer concentrated meals. In this article, we intend to examine whether or not feeding timing and frequency is relevant to metabolism, and/or satiation.

Including breakfast in one’s day has been shown to have myriad effects. De Castro (2004) found those that skip breakfast are more likely to overeat later. ¹ Additionally, Schlundt et al (1992) and Stubbs et al (1996) found those that eat breakfast eat less fat throughout the day and are less prone to impulsive eating of familiar foods. ²³ However, multiple studies have found that feeding frequency and timing does not have an effect on metabolic performance (Wilhelmine et al 1998) (Dallosso et al 1982) ( Verboeket van de Venne and Westerterp 1998) (Wolfram et al 1987). ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ ⁷ In addition, Goldberg et al (1998) found that one’s metabolic rate while sleeping is roughly concurrent with one’s basal metabolic rate (BMR), which in combination with results from the previously mentioned studies suggests that there are no adverse metabolic effects from eating before sleeping.⁸ However, it is important if you are partaking in late night eating that you eat a prepared portion of food, as it’s been demonstrated that it’s common for individuals to overindulge late (Waller et al 2004). ⁹

Eating more frequent smaller meals has been shown to decrease future hunger more effectively than eating few highly concentrated meals (Speechly and Buffenstein 1999). Johnstone et al (2000) found similar results in their study, and also determined that the nutritional composition of these smaller meals (i.e. high in protein, fat, or carbohydrates) did not affect later decreased hunger, provided they contained a similar caloric composition¹⁰ ¹¹

High Fructose Corn Syrup; good or bad?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:14:14 +0000

As levels of diabetes, obesity, and other dietary issues increase (diabetes alone has increased 763% from 1935 to 1996 in the united states (Gross et al 2004)) studies have been conducted to investigate whether the 1,000% rise in the use of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) from 1967 to 2000 in the American food industry is a major contributor (Bray et al 2004).¹ ² In this article, we will examine whether or not HFCS is truly a factor in this significant increase.

Early studies found that there were possible clinical explanations for metabolic differences derived from HFCS ingestion and other sweeteners; primarily that it did not trigger insulin creation and thereby was thought to not trigger satiety signals (Reiser et al 1989) (Elliott et al 2002) (Bray et al 2004) (Teff et al 2004) .³ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ However, more recent studies have found no difference in resulting satiety in men or women resulting from HFCS, sucrose, or milk, (Soenen and Westerterp-Plantenga 2007) (Melanson et al 2008) (Akhavan and Anderson 2007),⁷ ⁸ ⁹ and that HFCS yields similar metabolic responses to other caloric sweeteners. (Angelopoulos et al 2009),¹⁰ Stanhope et al 2008 and Melanson et al 2007 determined that sucrose and HFCS do not have significantly different short-term metabolic effects,¹¹ ¹² and moderate levels (~1.5 grams of fructose per kilogram of body mass) of HFCS intake does not cause ectopic lipid deposition or insulin resistance in healthy humans (Le et al 2006).¹³

Although HFCS is not itself responsible for the increase in dietary and metabolic disorders, other studies have demonstrated that increasing levels of excess energy consumption in general is a cause (Gross et al 2004).¹⁴ For thousands of years humans consumed fructose amounting to 16–20 grams per day, largely from fresh fruits (Gross et al 2004). ¹⁵ Westernization of diets has resulted in significant increases in food with added fructose, leading to typical daily consumptions amounting to 85–100 grams of fructose per day (Gross et al 2004). ¹⁶ For example, a 12 ounce Coke contains 39 grams of fructose and the USDA Recommended Daily Allowance allots for 32 grams of carbohydrates in a 2,000 calorie diet.¹⁷ A single 12 ounce Coke therefore contains significantly more than an individual’s entire excess dietary energy allowance for a day. Raben et al 2002 found that people have a very difficult time compensating for increased levels of calories associated with increased sugar intake by lowering caloric intake elsewhere.¹⁸ While moderate ingestion of HFCS will not specifically cause harm to oneself, it is advisable to monitor and limit consumption as much as possible.

JustTheScience » short-term metabolic effects

Does it matter when you eat?

High Fructose Corn Syrup; good or bad?