Snack Quality and Timing: What Research Says About Cardiometabolic Health


Snacking is a common part of daily eating habits, but snack quality and timing may matter more for health than simply counting how many snacks a person eats. A study published in the European Journal of Nutrition examined how snack frequency, food quality, and eating times were associated with cardiometabolic health indicators.

What Is Snacking?

Snacking refers to consuming small portions of food or drinks between regular meals. People may snack to curb hunger, satisfy cravings, relieve stress or boredom, or get a quick energy boost. Snacks can range from nutrient-rich foods such as fruits and nuts to less nutritious options such as chips, candy, and other ultra-processed foods.

The Study: Snack Quality and Timing

Researchers led by Kate M. Bermingham analyzed data from the ZOE PREDICT 1 study, which included 967 healthy adults in the UK between 18 and 65 years old. Participants recorded their food intake and snack habits using an app and provided blood and stool samples for health-related measurements.

The researchers examined:

  • The number of snacks consumed each day
  • The nutritional quality and level of processing of snacks
  • The time of day when participants snacked
  • Cardiometabolic blood markers
  • Body weight, BMI, and body fat
  • Self-reported hunger
  • Gut microbiome composition

How Often Did People Snack?

Snacking was very common among participants. Ninety-five percent of participants reported eating snacks, with those who snacked consuming an average of 2.28 snacks per day.

About 19% had one snack per day, 47% had two snacks per day, and 29% had more than two snacks per day.

Interestingly, the number of snacks consumed was not associated with cardiometabolic blood marker levels. The amount of daily energy obtained from snacks was also not associated with these markers.

Snack Quality May Matter More Than Snack Frequency

The researchers found a stronger relationship between snack quality and cardiometabolic health.

Participants who consumed lower-quality snacks, particularly ultra-processed foods, tended to have:

  • Higher triglyceride levels
  • A greater likelihood of insulin resistance
  • Higher self-reported hunger

In contrast, people who consumed higher-quality snacks tended to have lower body weight, BMI, and body fat.

These findings suggest that the nutritional quality of snacks may be more important than simply focusing on how many snacks are consumed.

Late-Evening Snacking and Cardiometabolic Health

The timing of snacks was another important factor. Around 32% of participants reported eating at least one snack after 9 p.m.

People who tended to snack late in the evening had less favorable cardiometabolic markers than those who did not snack after 9 p.m. They showed higher:

  • Post-meal blood glucose
  • Post-meal triglycerides
  • Glycated hemoglobin levels

The differences were particularly noticeable among participants who consumed poor-quality snacks late in the evening.

What Does This Mean for Nutritional Psychology?

From a nutritional psychology perspective, these findings highlight that eating behavior involves more than simply measuring food quantity. Why, what, and when people snack may all be relevant when considering eating patterns and health.

People may snack because of physical hunger, cravings, stress, boredom, or other emotional and behavioral factors. Understanding these influences may help individuals make more intentional food choices and identify patterns that contribute to lower-quality or late-evening snacking.

The findings also suggest that nutritional guidance may benefit from focusing not only on the frequency of eating but also on food quality and eating patterns throughout the day.

Key Takeaways

  • 95% of study participants reported snacking.
  • Participants who snacked consumed an average of 2.28 snacks per day.
  • The number of snacks was not associated with cardiometabolic blood markers.
  • The amount of energy obtained from snacks was also not associated with these markers.
  • Lower-quality snacks were associated with higher triglycerides and a greater likelihood of insulin resistance.
  • Higher-quality snack consumption was associated with lower body weight, BMI, and body fat.
  • 32% of participants consumed at least one snack after 9 p.m.
  • Late-evening snacking was associated with higher post-meal glucose, triglycerides, and glycated hemoglobin.
  • Gut microbiome composition was not associated with snacking habits.

Conclusion

Research suggests that snack quality and timing may be more important for cardiometabolic health than snack frequency alone. Consuming lower-quality snacks, particularly late in the evening, was associated with less favorable cardiometabolic health indicators.

However, this study was observational, meaning it cannot establish cause and effect. It is therefore not possible to conclude that changing snack quality or timing would directly improve these health markers.

Understanding the psychological factors behind snacking, alongside the quality and timing of food choices, may provide a more complete approach to studying eating behavior and nutritional health.

Source

Bermingham, K. M., et al. Snack quality and snack timing are associated with cardiometabolic blood markers: the ZOE PREDICT study. European Journal of Nutrition.

Read full research study here: https://www.nutritional-psychology.org/do-the-quality-and-timing-of-your-snacks-affect-your-cardiometabolic-health/

Explore more nutrition and mental health research through the Center for Nutritional Psychology Research Library.

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