Saturday Oct 19, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- We already know what to eat and how to eat affect the risk of developing obesity or how effectively you can lose weight.  A new study now suggests that when to eat can also affect the risk.

Daniela Jakubowicz et al. from Diabetes Unit E. Wolfson Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine in Tel Aviv University in Holon, Israel conducted the study and found overweight and obese people who ate more at breakfast and less at dinner lost more weight and had a better metabolic profile.

For the study,  overweight and obese women with a mean body mass index of 32.4 kg/m2 who had metabolic syndrome were randomized into two groups, one group to eat 700 kcal at breakfast, 500 kcal at lunch and 200 kcal dinner (dinner group), compared with 200 kcal at breakfast, 500 kcal at lunch and 700 kcal dinner (breakfast group). The amount of total calories was the same in the two groups and the dietary intervention lasted for 12 weeks.

Both groups experienced a reduction in fasting glucose, insulin, and ghrelin and weight loss and waist circumference, but the breakfast group experienced greater weight loss and waist circumference reduction, greater reduction in fasting glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR.

For instance, the breakfast group lowered mean triglyceride levels by 33.6 percent, compared with only 14.6 percent in the dinner group.  The breakfast group also did better in the oral glucose tolerance test and the meal challenges.

The researchers concluded a high calorie breakfast and low calorie dinner is more beneficial than a high calorie dinner and low calorie breakfast for the management of obesity and metabolic syndrome in obese and overweight people.

Early studies suggest eating slowly is key to reducing calorie intake and prevent obesity or promote weight loss.   And eating a plant-based diet can also prevent obesity and metabolic syndrome, compared with eating a Western diet which is full of sugars and meat and dairy products. (DL)