There are some important things to pay attention to when it comes to dinner time. Not only does it help control blood sugar, but there are many benefits to adjusting it!

Did you know that dinner is more than just the last meal of the day? In fact, the timing of dinner has a very important impact on our health. Today, let's talk about a simple but often overlooked health habit - adjusting the dinner time , which can not only help us better control blood sugar, but also bring a series of unexpected benefits.

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What's the best time for dinner?

A study published in the journal Diabetes Care revealed a surprising fact: if you eat dinner late, your blood sugar level will rise.

The researchers selected 845 Spanish adults aged between 18 and 70 years old, none of whom had a history of diabetes. By having them take an evening glucose tolerance test after fasting for 8 hours, the scientists found that eating a late dinner would cause a 6.7% decrease in insulin AUC and an 8.3% increase in glucose AUC. This means that the later you eat dinner, the higher your blood sugar level will be.

So, when is the best time for dinner? According to experts, dinner should be arranged between 18:00 and 19:00, and no later than 20:00 .

This time point can ensure that there is enough time for digestion after dinner, and also avoid the negative impact of eating too late on sleep and health.

Eating dinner earlier has many benefits

1. Improvement of blood lipids and blood sugar

A study published in the journal Nutrients further confirmed the effect of dinner time on glucose and lipid metabolism. Moving dinner time to 18:00, compared with eating at 21:00, not only significantly improved 24-hour blood sugar levels the next day, but also improved blood lipid metabolism.

This means that eating dinner early can help us better manage blood sugar and blood lipids, which is important for preventing metabolic diseases such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia.

2. Control your weight

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism shows that if you eat dinner late with the same calories, your body will consume less fat, which will make you more likely to gain weight.

Moving dinner time forward to 18:00, rather than eating at 22:00, can help control weight and prevent obesity.

3. Reduce gastroesophageal reflux

For friends with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, eating dinner early can greatly relieve the discomfort. A gastroenterologist at Peking University Third Hospital pointed out that there should be enough time between dinner and bedtime, at least 3 hours.

This is because when we lie down, stomach acid can easily flow back into the esophagus, causing discomfort. Eating dinner early and leaving enough time for digestion can significantly reduce the occurrence of gastroesophageal reflux.

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4. Reduce blood pressure risk

A study published in the journal Circulation found that people who eat dinner late, especially those who eat more after 20:00, tend to have significantly higher blood pressure.

This is because eating dinner late will affect the body's biological clock, which in turn affects the blood pressure regulation mechanism. Therefore, dinner should not only be eaten earlier, but also eaten less, which can effectively reduce the risk of heart disease.

5. Improve sleep quality

If you eat dinner too late, your stomach and intestines will still have to work while you sleep, which not only affects your sleep quality but may also cause a series of digestive problems.

Eating dinner early and taking a short walk or doing some housework after dinner can help digestion and allow the body to get enough rest during sleep, thereby improving sleep quality.

6. Better mental state

Many people have been eating later and later during busy workdays. Irregular dinner times are often accompanied by hunger and mood swings. Doctors point out that long-term failure to eat dinner on time can lead to physical exhaustion and mental fatigue.

Eating dinner early can not only avoid the discomfort caused by hunger, but also keep people in a more energetic state of mind.

Finally, to sum up, adjusting dinner time is not only related to our blood sugar health, but also closely related to our weight, blood pressure, sleep quality, mental state, etc.

What time do you usually eat dinner? Why not try adjusting your dinner time starting today? I believe that soon you will find yourself becoming healthier and more energetic!