We give more and more importance to what we eat, and we begin to take into account the information on food labels, and even demonize ultra-processed foods. However, it is so important that we eat like him when We eat, although the latter is something to which we may give very little importance in our environment, but which in truth has a great effect on our microbiota.
What happens. We are not the only ones who go to sleep, since the two billion bacteria that inhabit our digestive tract have their own circadian clock. Change it by having dinner after hours Not only does it worsen our digestion, but, according to the latest studies, it pushes us towards a pro-inflammatory and obesogenic metabolism in a matter of days. In this way, changing the time at which we eat dinner can be essential to improve our general metabolic health.
The bacteria. To understand why dinner time is critical, you must first understand that our microbiota is not static, but rather the composition and function of our bacteria oscillate in 24-hour cycles like ourselves. In this way, during the day, when we eat, bacteria such as Firmicuteswhich are active to help us process nutrients.
However, when the night fast arrives, the ecosystem changes shift and families such as the Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia. And this is something fundamental, because it is the moment in which our bacteria ferment the fiber and produce short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate, which will act as a protective shield for the intestinal barrier and regulate our glucose levels.
It’s sensitive. Up to this point everything seems wonderful, but the moment we have a late dinner or if we break the fast with alcohol and a fast night meal like the classic kebab after a party, this delicate ecosystem becomes out of sync. At that time, the Bacteroidetes They decrease, the intestine becomes inflamed and we lose that protective shield.
The experiment. The theory sounds good, but how long does it take for us to damage this ecosystem by eating late? The answer lies with a joint team from the CSIC, the University of Murcia and Harvard University through a rigorous test where he submitted to a group of young women and healthy to a crossover experiment.
In this case, for one week the women ate the main meal at 2:00 p.m., and the following week it was delayed until 5:30 p.m. Everything else, such as calories, type of diet or hours of sleep, remained identical.
The results were forcefulsince seven days of eating late were enough to completely invest the daily rhythm of the microbiota. And, as we have seen before, by moving the schedules towards the night, the microbial diversity was altered and bacteria associated with pro-inflammatory processes began to proliferate (such as Fusobacterium either Porphyromonas). Clinically, this delayed pattern pushes the body into a metabolic state that facilitates obesity and increases the risk of intestinal diseases.
The ideal time. The scientific consensus points to a very specific window that for Spaniards represents an important cultural challenge, since it is believed that dinner should be eaten before 8:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m., while lunch should not exceed 2:00 p.m. Although if we go further, microbiota researchers agree that the ideal period is between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., always guaranteeing that at least two to three hours pass before going to sleep.
It is quite important, because it has been seen that people who eat dinner early or at least leave two hours of margin before going to bed They have a 20% lower risk of developing breast and prostate cancer. The key seems to be in melatonin, the sleep hormone, which when secreted naturally displays a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, as long as we are not in full digestion.
Images | Caroline Attwood CDC
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