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The early bird gets the worm, the old adage says, but new research suggests that the early bird’s worm might be healthier and the bird itself may have a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) than the night owl.
In a new study published in Frontiers, study authors examined the impact of chronotype on dietary intake and the impacts that these diets have on health.
A chronotype is the body‘s natural inclination to sleep or wake at a certain time, what many refer to as being an early bird or a night owl.
“In addition to regulating sleep and wake times, chronotype has an influence on appetite, exercise and core body temperature,” the Sleep Foundation notes.
“It is responsible for the fact that you feel more alert at certain periods of the day and sleepier at others.”
In many cases, chronotypes impact when people choose to eat throughout the day. Early birds may eat more in the morning and less at night, while night owls will not eat until later in the day.
Research suggests that, like chronotypes, metabolism and energy expenditure operate on a 24-hour cycle, as well.
“As a result, not only the timing of food intake, but also variations in energy and macronutrient intake and their distribution throughout the day affect energy expenditure,” the study explains.
“Collectively, these may affect body composition and metabolic biomarker outcomes differently across chronotypes.”
The result—higher calorie intake in the evening is associate with higher BMI in study participants, meaning night owls typically have higher body fat percentage and greater risk of obesity.
New Zealand Findings
The study followed a group of healthy women living in Auckland, New Zealand. Of particular note is that, in New Zealand, Pacific women typically have a larger body build and greater muscle mass than European women.
To account for this discrepancy, the study followed 130 New Zealand Pacific women and 157 New Zealand European women between the ages of 18 to 45.
Participants were determined to be either night owls, early birds or intermediates and recorded everything they ate and drank over a five-day period.
“The findings show that although all chronotype groups consumed similar amounts of calories and macronutrients, evening-type women had less favorable metabolic biomarker, body fat and nutrient profiles,” Medical Express reports.
It would appear that, not only did night owls consume food later, but the foods that they chose were less micro-nutrient dense than those chosen by women with a morning-type chronotype. The result was that those eating later in the day were associated with greater obesity profiles, less favorable metabolic biomarker profiles and lower micronutrient intake.
“This eating pattern may reflect food intake, digestion and metabolism during the normal fasting phase of the light/dark cycle, leading to storage rather than utilization,” the study finds.
Overall, the study suggests that women who wake up earlier may be associated with healthier body compositions.
Everyone knows how important the right diet and exercise is to staying fit and healthy. But now, this research suggests that wakeup time could be just as important.
Whatever time they set their alarm clocks, this new research may just be the wake-up call many women have been waiting for.
Newsweek has reached out to study authors for comment via email.
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