After a night out, many people feel the urge to eat something substantial before bed. They can be some churros, some croquettes, a hamburger or the remains of pizza from last dinner. In short, fat calls us. Because?
The action of returning to dinner is known as ‘zahorar’, that is, what in Catalan has a dedicated word: el resopó. The excuse of the party is not always necessary for this eating after hours, although many people believe that this intake will help them not have a hangover the next day, which has no scientific evidence. In fact, eating before going to bed is not recommended if you do not want to have a lousy digestion.
Returning to the party, this consumption could be motivated by three different factors, in the opinion of Dr. Belén Unzeta from the Santa Cristina University Hospital: excessive consumption of alcohol, marijuana and/or staying up all night. “Alcohol is one of the main triggers, since its disinhibiting effect causes loss of control. Furthermore, excessive consumption of high-fat diets and alcohol abuse can use the same brain circuitry. Both alcohol and tasty foods (high in fat, sugar, and/or salt) are calorically dense, and activate the brain’s reward circuitry and can facilitate excessive calorie intake. There are studies that suggest that hormones such as ghrelin or leptin, traditionally associated with appetite control, are also involved in aspects”, says Unzeta.
In the case of marijuana use, the ravenous hunger it causes is well known and is popularly called munchies. “The cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main way that cannabis could affect appetite. To do this, THC partially binds to and activates CB1 receptors in the basal ganglia, limbic forebrain, hypothalamus, and rhombencephalon, where it could increase the pleasure of eating, improve food palatability, and regulate food intake. food, respectively. By activating CB1 receptors, THC overrides the signals that normally tell our bodies that we are full. On the other hand, THC binds to receptors in the small intestine and stomach, where it could contribute to the release of ghrelin (a hormone that stimulates appetite)”, comments the doctor, who adds that there is evidence of the relationship between drug abuse substances such as alcohol, tobacco or cannabis with disorders in the pattern of food intake: 30.6% met the criteria for the diagnosis.
Leaving the party aside, Unzeta points out that eating at odd hours, when it alters the sleep cycle, can be considered an eating disorder already described in 1955 by Albert J. Stunkard and included in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders such as night eating syndrome. The patient affected by this syndrome can eat 50% of the total calories in a day after the last meal of the day, even waking up at night to eat and being fully conscious while doing so. Unzeta points out that the recommendation of nutrition experts is to eat 5 meals a day, with breakfast and lunch being the large calorie intake, over 50%, with the mid-morning intake and snack over 15. % and dinner limited to 20%.
“It occurs at least three days a week, and is accompanied by dietary restriction during the day (they don’t eat breakfast and hardly eat during the day), which for them justifies compulsive nocturnal food intake, causing a decompensation with respect to the recommendations . These foods are usually rich in carbohydrates, such as sweets, pastries, pasta or rice.
This behavior can be caused by different reasons. One is deregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: “it is responsible for controlling the response to stress mediated by cortisol and participates in the regulation of circadian rhythms that regulate various psychological and metabolic functions, such as hunger and satiety mechanisms.” or the wake-sleep cycle.
The disorder has a prevalence of 1.5% of the total population and can reach 10% in patients who request weight loss treatment, which is why it is associated with overweight and obesity, although it is not exclusive to these patients. because, for example, university students could be more predisposed to developing this symptom because they live with the same factors that trigger it: “high level of stress or anxiety, disturbed sleep pattern due to staying up late or sleeping few hours, pattern of eating disorganized”.
