Why you should avoid snacking after 9pm - including serious health repercussions
Everyone has a different daily routine that determines what time they eat. Healthy snacks are fine to eat between meals, but excessive grazing on junk foods can put a dent in weight loss efforts.
However, if people choose to eat too late - even if the food is a healthy choice - then it can lead to higher risks of heart issues, blood sugar surges and "worse blood fat" levels.
Scots might be confused about the recommended time to close the cupboards and step away from the fridge. Thankfully, this week, on Davina McCall's Begin Again podcast, Professor Sarah Berry has set the record straight.
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Professor Berry is a leading researcher in nutrition and menopause. She joined the former Big Brother presenter to unpack the myths surrounding diet and how small, science-backed changes can lead to big improvements.
"You should stop snacking after 9pm but ideally after 8pm," Professor Berry explained. "Even if people are snacking on a healthy snack after 9pm, it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, and blood pressure."
If you are adamant that you need a little something extra after your dinner, changing the type of snack you have could make all the difference, the expert said.
She went on: "We did a clinical trial where we asked 50 people to eat 20 per cent of their energy from typical UK snacks... we made these muffins that had the same profile as a bit of Walkers crisps and McVities digestives.
"Then we had another 50 people who for six weeks were eating almond nuts. The same per cent of energy was coming from the nuts and the snacks, and we told them not to change anything else in their lifestyle."
The results were pretty eye-opening. Professor Berry went on: "By the end of the six weeks, the improvement on the health outcomes on those on the almonds was phenomenal.
"When you actually calculated what the estimated improvement in cardiovascular risk was from some of the different factors that had changed like their cholesterol, blood vessel function, it equated to a 30 per cent reduction in cardiovascular disease."
The late diet guru Michael Mosley also backed up this claim. He hosted Ms Berry on his BBC Podcast Just One Thing last year, who explained how "shocking" a study was that showed a third of people snacked after 9pm.
"One thing that really interests me about snacking is it’s not just what you eat, but when you eat that’s important," Mr Mosley said at the time.
