A new study reveals that eating small meals is better than skipping meals for weight loss. Missing meals can cause bigger changes in blood sugar, which can increase belly fat, heart disease risk, and type-2 diabetes risk.
The Ohio State University (OSU) study researched the eating habits of mice. Mice that ate all their food in only one meal developed insulin resistance within their livers.
When a liver receives insulin signals to stop making glucose, extra sugar in the blood is stored as fat. This can result in insulin resistance, and risks of heart disease and type-2 diabetes.
Martha Belury, a OSU nutrition professor, said that missing meals causes glucose levels and insulin levels to change greatly. This can result in weight gain rather than weight loss.
The mice on a one-meal diet lost more weight than the rodents that that ate food all day, according to India Today. However, when the restricted-diet mice were given more calories, their weight gain was almost equal to the mice that gobbled up food all day.
The most fascinating result of the scientific experiment was that the one-meal mice gained more belly fat than the all-day eaters gained. Dr. Peter Le Pont, director at a California medical care center, said that stomach fat is the most dangerous variety on the human body.
Karen Ansel (RDN, CDN), a nutrition expert, explained that most meal-skipping people miss breakfast because they are not hungry after waking up, according to Yahoo Health. Early dinners can help to prevent skipping breakfast.
Ansel recommended eating three balanced meals, and one or two snacks every day. That will help people to feel full all day and keep blood sugar levels balanced.
The OSU research was published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.