Studies: Timing of meals could have big impact on health

BOSTON - Two local studies find that timing of meals could have a big impact on your health.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital studied 16 overweight people and found that when they ate later in the day, they were hungrier over a 24-hour period, burned calories more slowly, and were more likely to store fat, compared to eating those same meals earlier in the day and regardless of variables like physical activity and sleep.

In another study, researchers at the Brigham found that eating meals within a 10-hour window can shrink bad cholesterol particles which could reduce the risk for heart disease.