Eating a late lunch could make it harder to lose weight

Study finds people who eat lunch after 3pm find it harder to lose weight

We all know that eating a big dinner just before you go to bed makes you pile on the pounds. But now researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and the University of Murcia, have found that eating a late lunch could also have a negative impact on your waistline.

420 overweight people took part in a 20-week weight-loss treatment study in Spain, with half the group eating their lunch before 3pm and half afterwards.

The results showed that those who ate earlier lost 30 per cent more weight than those tucking in after three.

Dr Frank Scheer, Senior Author of the research, said: 'Our results indicate that late eaters displayed a slower weight-loss rate and lost significantly less weight than early eaters, suggesting that the timing of large meals could be an important factor in a weight loss program.' Late eaters also had a lower insulin sensitivity, which increases the risk of diabetes.

On the plus side, the research also found that the timing of small meals has little or no impact of weight loss. Early afternoon snack anyone?

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