Perhaps you are one of those people who reach for a huge jar of ice cream or the first industrial sweet pastry they find when the day has given them a displeasure. Perhaps, if this habit has made you overweight, you have ever tried to impose a restrictive diet on yourself. If so, it is quite likely that you came away from that experience with a sense of failure and frustration, with negative emotions running high. A new study by professor and nutrition expert Marta Garaulet may now help you understand why you haven’t been successful, and why you won’t be unless you change your strategy.
The research is based on previous studies in which Garaulet had already determined that people with an evening chronotype -that is, those with a biological clock that pushes them to be more nocturnal and with it to sleep less, to get up early with more effort and to eat and eat dinner later – have a higher risk of obesity and metabolic disorders. Now, the Murcian scientist goes further and warns that the diet of these evening people tends to be more linked to emotions: many of them eat excessively or opt for more caloric and unhealthy foods “when they feel sad, depressed or alone».
Garaulet, a researcher at the universities of Murcia and Harvard, has led this study together with Bárbara Vizmanos, from the University of Guadalajara (Mexico). Data from almost 4,000 people in Spain, Mexico and the United States have been analyzed. The results have just been published in the journal ‘Obesity’, of the ‘Obesity Society’, a global scientific society focused on the study of this important health problem.
Research shows that simply trying to impose a very strict diet on these ’emotional eaters’ is generally not going anywhere. Or yes: to a worsening of the situation and the impulsive and disorderly consumption of food to skyrocket even more. «When trying to lose weight, to carry out a change of diet, the chronotype is a very important factor to take into account. For a person who lives in the evening and with eating habits linked to emotions, rather than a very restrictive and rigid diet, it is better to start a therapy aimed at addressing these emotional behaviors”, sums up Marta Garaulet. It is about advancing towards “personalized medicine and nutrition,” she emphasizes.
This is important, because if someone needs to successfully address a change in diet, it is precisely the one who combines the evening chronotype with uncontrolled eating. The combination of both factors significantly increases the risk of obesity and cardiometabolic disorders.
different populations
To determine if a person has an evening, morning or intermediate chronotype, and to check if they are an ’emotional eater’, the study led by Garaulet uses two validated questionnaires that were answered by 3,964 participants. It is the first time that the results of these questionnaires have been compared in populations with different cultures and environmental factors, points out the Murcian researcher. The conclusion is that the association between the evening chronotype and ’emotional eating’ occurs independently of these cultural differences.
But, in addition, a test was carried out in 162 people to measure the evolution of the concentration of melatonin in saliva during the beginning of the night (DMLO in its acronym in English). The test was carried out in La Arrixaca, in dim light conditions and without mobile phones. The participants remained in this space for five hours. In this way, it was possible to measure when the levels of this hormone began to rise in each of these people. That is, the moment at which the night began for his biological clock. This test made it possible to “objectify” whether each of these participants presented a morning or evening chronotype, beyond the questionnaire. For some, the night began around 9:00 p.m. For others, at 10:00 p.m. or 11:30 p.m. Among the latter, the proportion of ’emotional eaters’ was higher, which confirmed the thesis used by the researchers.
Guilty feeling
The ’emotional eater’ is characterized by uncontrolled eating, with a tendency to reach for foods such as chocolate or sweets, to binge or impulsively eat when feeling sad, bored or lonely. Then usually comes an intense feeling of guilt. These behaviors are often exacerbated with restrictive diets, warns Garaulet. “It is very important to take this blame into account because, in the end, instead of achieving a change in diet, the person ends up thinking that their situation cannot be fixed, that there is nothing that can be done”, emphasizes the researcher of UMU and Harvard.
“We already knew that people who spend more evenings or nights have a higher risk of obesity and have more difficulties losing weight. This new study provides an explanation in this regard”, sums up Garaulet. The key is that people with an evening chronotype tend to have eating behaviors that are more linked to emotions. Knowing this is the first step to be able to improve lifestyles and diets successfully and without frustration.
The emotional impact of living with changed rhythms
People with an evening chronotype find it much more difficult to adapt to work and school schedules, because they do not correspond to the circadian rhythms set by their biological clock. This leads to their habits being “less regulated and more chaotic.” They sleep less and are more tired. As a consequence, these people tend “to exercise less and eat more and worse”, explains Marta Garaulet. “All of this has a huge emotional impact.” The researcher has addressed all these aspects in different studies. There are some important keys that can help these evening people to improve their habits and sleep. For example, it is not advisable to go for a run or go to the gym late in the afternoon or at night. “It is better that physical activity be done in the morning, because exercise disturbs sleep for all of us, and even more for them,” explains Garaulet. Nor does the mobile screen help to sleep, because the intense light it emits affects the secretion of melatonin and delays sleep. A study in children with an evening chronotype showed that you should forget about your mobile phone at least two hours before going to bed.
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