Diana Díaz-Rizzolo, doctor: Eating more calories after 5 p.m. is detrimental to your metabolic health

When it comes to nutrition, there are three factors to consider - not two: quality, quantity, and timing. The human body is governed, among other things, by circadian rhythms - the light‑dark cycles that act like an internal clock regulating key functions such as metabolism and body temperature. Nutrition, therefore, needs to fall in line with this system; if it doesn’t, consequences inevitably follow.

“Time to rest - not a moment to keep eating”

That’s the point emphasized by Diana Díaz‑Rizzolo, a researcher who, in a recent interview on the podcast Tiene Sentido, explored the harmful effects of eating when we shouldn’t. “When we consume glucose at night, the spike we experience is higher and, more importantly, lasts longer,” she explains. “That’s because melatonin sends a message to the pancreas to stop producing insulin at the normal daytime rate. It signals that it’s time to rest - and not a moment to keep eating.”

“Outlook for nighttime eaters was worse”

According to the Columbia University researcher, a recent study she participated in - which divided two groups based on whether their diet was predominantly daytime or nighttime, using 5:00 p.m. as the cutoff - found that “eating after five isn’t the issue. The real problem comes when you take in more than half of your daily energy after that time, because that’s a lot.”

The study, published in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes, concluded that “people who consumed more than half their calories after 5 p.m. had worse metabolic health”, Díaz‑Rizzolo explained. In practical terms, that translates to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and, “above all, an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.”

All of this held true even after adjusting “for weight, age, sex, or lifestyle habits”, Díaz‑Rizzolo continued. “And the overall health outlook for nighttime eaters was worse,” she notes, encouraging podcast listeners to take a closer look at their eating patterns - and, if most of their intake falls in the latter half of the day, to consider flipping the script.

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