• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • The Wellesley (COVID) 100
      The Wellesley (COVID) 100
    • In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
      In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
    • Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
      Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
      The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
    • Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
      Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
    • No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
      No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
      Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
    • No image
      Birds Falling Upwards: Wellesley College Theater’s The Moors is a Must-See
    • No image
      Sometimes you just need to read a YA “Groundhog Day” to feel something
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Health and Wellness
    • February Student Athlete of the Month
      February Student Athlete of the Month
    • Athletics Update
      Athletics Update
    • Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
      Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
      Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
    • Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
      Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
    • Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
      Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Alyssa Li Sports and WellnessMarch 3, 2017

Study suggests that better sleeping habits result in healthier eating

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.

A new study claims that early risers log fewer calories, eat more nutritious food and may actually be healthier than night owls.

Previous research comparing early and late risers suggests that “morning type” people procrastinate less, are more proactive and may be, on the whole, happier than “evening type” people. All of this has to do with circadian rhythm, an internal biological clock that aligns an individual’s behavior and physiology with the environment. It is highly adaptive to environmental changes, and it is responsible for maintaining a regular light-dark cycle and a nutrient cycle for food intake. Evening types are more prone to misalignment of the circadian clock, which can result in poor sleep patterns and dietary habits. Repeated misalignment of the clock can cause detrimental metabolic changes, including an increased risk of diabetes.

Recently, researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, Finland found that early risers may also make healthier food choices throughout the day.

Dr. Courtney Peterson from the University of Alabama says, “Early birds may have an extra advantage over night owls when it comes to fighting obesity as they are instinctively choosing to eat healthier foods earlier in the day.”

Published in the scientific journal of The Obesity Society, the study is the first to examine how the internal circadian clock rhythm affects food choices from nearly 2000 randomly chosen participants. Researchers looked at what the participants ate, including carbohydrates, proteins and fats and the time at which these food items were consumed, and they identified clear differences.

Morning people ate more balanced foods and ate earlier in the day, whereas evening people ate less protein overall and consumed more sugar in the mornings. At night, the evening types again ate more sugar and fat, including saturated fatty acids. Furthermore, evening types also had lower daily intakes of protein. The differences between early and late risers was even more pronounced on the weekends; evening types not only had more irregular meals throughout the day, but they also had, on average, twice the number of eating occasions than morning types. Their meal portions varied drastically, and they also slept worse, felt more restless during the day and were generally less physically active.

“Linking what and when people eat to their biological clock type provides a fresh perspective on why certain people are more likely to make unhealthy food decisions,” said Mirkka Maukonen from the NIH in Finland. “This study shows that evening type people have less favorable eating habits, which may put them at a higher risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease.”

The higher consumption of energy foods, such as soft drinks, and lower consumption of vegetables, carbohydrates and fiber may be explained by the postponed energy and macronutrient intake timing of evening types, which ultimately is a manifestation of the differences in circadian rhythm. It is also possible that morning types make healthier food choices because the self-control of an individual often decreases throughout the day—those who wake up early start and end their days with more self-control than their evening counterparts.

Most importantly, the researchers emphasize that this new study may help people who are trying to lose weight explain why they are compelled to make unhealthy food choices throughout the day.

“Clinicians can help steer people to healthier options —and suggest the optimal time to eat these foods— based on what we now know about our biological clocks,” said Dr. Peterson.

The researchers highlight that this study requires more exploration to determine the exact root of these food choices, but for now, they hope that their results can provide insight into how sleep and diet can be optimized for weight-loss, disease prevention or just general healthy living.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleMind Full: 1/3
Next articleWellesley Softball prepares for 2017 season with team building and hard work

You may also like

February Student Athlete of the Month

Athletics Update

Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2022 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top