The research, published today in the International Journal of Obesity, was a colaboration between two Boston-area universities and University of Murcia.
The study involved 420 people in Spain on a 20 week weight-loss program, with an even distribution of men and women. The subjects were divided into two groups based on meal timing. One set ate most of their daily calories prior to 3 p.m. while the other set ate later in the day.
The researchers found the late-eating group lost weight at a slower rate, even when factoring other aspects of weight-loss like caloric intake, energy expenditure, and sleep patterns.
The study's conclusion is that eating a lot of calories later in the day may influence the success of weight-loss programs.
