Modern medical researchers recommend that people eat small meals at regular intervals to equalize their blood sugar levels and keep their metabolism high. However, a new study suggests that this approach is actually contributing to obesity in the United States. Circadian biology researchers suggest that extended fasting may be better for human metabolism and overall health.
Mealtimes and weight
Modern medical researchers recommend that people eat small meals at regular intervals to equalize their blood sugar and keep their metabolism high. However, a new study suggests that this approach is actually contributing to obesity in the United States. Circadian biology researchers suggest that extended fasting may be better for human metabolism and overall health.
Eating habits
Many diet experts in the US have recommended eating more often, and Americans eagerly adhere to that. In fact, the most common advice is to eat every three hours to keep energy and metabolic levels high. While this advice makes sense to experts on an intuitive level, there are no studies to suggest that this practice will lead to weight loss. In fact, Americans have continued to gain weight just as quickly after the publication of this popular advice.
Light and sleep
How do light and sleep relate in this story? A healthy, properly functioning metabolism benefits from a tightly regulated sleep-wake rhythm. Like many bodily systems, metabolism is highly responsive to hormones released by the body. These hormones are activated when the blue spectrum is perceived or missing in white light.
The sleep-wake rhythm is therefore related to the alternation between light and dark. When the sleep-wake rhythm is stable, the metabolism is also stable.
Source: www.chronobiology.com
