Consuming most calories at night may lead to pregnant women having higher blood sugar levels, a new study suggests.
The results provide new insight into the importance of meal timing in pregnancy, and the effects of late-night eating.
Higher blood sugar levels cross the placenta during pregnancy. This can cause the baby to put on more fat than is ideal.
Prof Keith Godfrey from the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) was part of the study team. It also involved researchers from Singapore and Taiwan.
Their analysis has been published in Clinical Nutrition.
Eating at night
During pregnancy, it is important to eat a healthy, balanced diet. Research shows that this can help give children the best possible start in life. The child is also likely to be healthier growing up.
This international study examined predominant night-eating – when more than half of calories are eaten between 7pm and 7am – and how it affects blood sugar levels.
The researchers studied data from 277 healthy pregnant women in Singapore. They all kept a food diary and wore a continuous glucose monitoring sensor so researchers could measure their blood sugar levels.
During a follow-up visit the women had an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). This involved taking a standardised sugary drink “challenge” and having their blood sugar measured at intervals after this.
Effects on blood sugar
The analyses suggested that eating more calories at night than during the day may disrupt pregnant women’s blood sugar regulation. This process is important to keep the body in balance.
Results showed that predominant night-eating was associated with higher blood sugar levels, when assessed with continuous monitoring, during fasting and one hour after the sugary drink challenge.
It was not, however, linked with an increased risk of gestational diabetes.
Prof Godfrey is a Professor of Epidemiology and Human Development at the University of Southampton and lead for Nutrition, Lifestyle and Metabolism in the NIHR Southampton BRC. He said:
“Night-eating has become increasingly common but may disrupt an optimal supply of nutrients to the developing baby during pregnancy.
“Our new findings suggest that this could have noticeable effects on the long-term health of the child.
“Future studies should explore dietary interventions to reduce night-time calorie intake during pregnancy.”
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