US study: If you want to live a long life, you shouldn't eat too late in the evening

A long, healthy life can also be related to eating habits.

Finding the right time to eat is important.

Dallas – Diet plays a crucial role in our well-being, as many are aware.

Nutritional science often focuses primarily on what people eat and why it is better to avoid certain foods.

American researchers have now narrowed down the best possible time for a meal.

It could even affect how old a person gets.

US study: If you want to live a long life, you shouldn't eat too late in the evening

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Midnight snacking could shorten lifespan, study suggests.

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© Andrey Popov/Imago

Health-conscious people should probably do without the famous and popular midnight snack.

American researchers from the University of Texas came to the conclusion.

To do this, they tested mice to see what influence the time of feeding has on their lifespan.

It was crucial that they only fed the animals at night.

Mice are nocturnal animals but were always fed during the day in previous studies.

The researchers circumvented the problem with automated feeding and only made food available to some animals at night - with an astonishing result.

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US study: The structure of the study

The researchers divided the test mice into six groups:

• 1. Control group: These mice were allowed to eat as much as they wanted whenever they wanted

• 2. Groups 2-6: These mice were on a diet, eating 30 to 40 percent fewer calories.

  They could either eat at any time they wanted or only got their food at strictly regulated times of the day and night.

After the test phase, it was found that mice in the first group lived an average of 800 days.

Mice that were on a diet but also always had access to food lived 875 days.

That alone is a result that should make people realize: Eating too much is definitely unhealthy!

But that is not the end of the study.

Because the groups of mice that were on a diet, were only allowed to eat during the day and then had a 12-hour break from eating, lived an average of 959 days.

Only the mice that had limited calorie access and were only allowed to eat at night beat this result.

They lived an average of 1,068 days.

US study: The weak points of the study

Of course, the result cannot be transferred one-to-one to humans.

However, one trend can still be seen: Late, high-calorie snacks cause problems for the body in the long run.

If you can manage it, you should not eat anything more two hours before going to bed and give the body time to regulate itself overnight.

In a few places, however, the researchers also admit difficulties.

In addition to the transfer of the results to humans, the following problems also arise:

• Sleep interruption: The mice, which were only allowed to eat during the day, had to constantly interrupt their sleep.

  This too may have led to an earlier death.

• Males: The researchers conducted the study exclusively with male mice.

  It is therefore still unclear how females react to this.

Nevertheless: If you want to support your body and your digestive system, it is best to avoid late snacking and concentrate on a healthy and early dinner.

This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication.

In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor.

Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.

Rubric list image: © Andrey Popov/Imago