A recent study published in Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism observes that a eating close to bed time alters fat and glucose metabolism and may predispose to type 2 diabetes. The researchers said that this is most likely because one’s metabolism slow down during this time, leading to an increased blood sugar and other chemicals that contribute to weight gain and T2DM.

      Dr.Jonathan Jun and team from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore studied this in 20 healthy volunteers. They were asked to eat same dinner at 6:00 pm or 10:00 pm and go to bed by 11:00 pm. Their activities were tracked, and they also had a scan of body fats. The volunteers were asked to eat food containing compounds that allowed the researchers to track the fat burning.

      On an average, blood sugar level of volunteers who ate late was about 18% higher and the amount of fat burned was 10% lower compared with those who ate early.

      What's not clear is whether it's the interval between eating time and bedtime that accounts for the difference.