Do ‘Early Birds’ Get the Healthier Worm?

Investigators in Finland found that morning people tend to eat better and earlier in the day than late-to-bed types. The result: a higher risk of obesity for the night owls, said study lead author Mirkka Maukonen, of the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki.”We found that night owls had postponed timing of food intake, and less favorable eating patterns with higher intakes of sucrose, fat and saturated fat in the evening hours than early birds,” said Maukonen, a doctoral candidate in the department of public health solutions. Sucrose is a type of sugar. Registered dietitian Lona Sandon, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, wasn’t surprised by the findings. She said physiology and biology likely play a role.”Past research has shown that hormones that impact appetite and metabolism — the way our body uses or stores energy — are produced at different levels throughout the day and night,” said Sandon, who wasn’t involved in the study.

Key Points:

  • 1Early birds may have a leg up over night owls when it comes to health and weight.
  • 2A study in Finland found that morning people tend to eat better and earlier in the day than late-to-bed types, giving early birds a lower risk of obesity.
  • 3Changing sleep habits may be tough for night owls, but it may be worthwhile for their health.


Registered dietitian Lona Sandon, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, wasn’t surprised by the findings. She said physiology and biology likely play a role.

Read the full article at: https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_163902.html

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HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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