Eating late at night 'makes you fat'

It is not just what people eat but when that leads to weight gain, evidence suggests.

Mice with a malfunctioning body clock piled on the pounds because they were eating when they should have been asleep, a study suggested.

Even if they consumed no more calories than normal, they still gained more weight.

The findings shed light on the complex causes of obesity in humans, said the researchers from the University of Pennsylvania.

They said the effect in mice was similar to night-eating syndrome in humans, which is associated with obesity.

The results could explain why night shift workers are more likely to suffer obesity and metabolic syndrome, a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Patients with sleep disorders are also at greater risk of developing obesity, while less sleep can lead to weight gain in healthy people.

Georgios Paschos, a research associate involved in the study, said: “A relatively modest shift in food consumption into what is normally the rest period for mice can favour energy storage. Our mice became obese without consuming more calories.”

Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.

a) The study suggests that eating light meals at night can put you on weight.

b) Working during the day is less risky for your health.

c) The more healthy people sleep, the more likely they are to put on weight.

d) A small change in eating time habits can be the cause to gain weight.

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.

a)  According to the study, what kind of people are at risk of suffering from obesity?

b)  What are the conclusions of this study?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase in the text that means the same as

a) put on par.2

b) big par 5

c) change par 6

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a) They said the effect in mice was similar to night-eating syndrome in humans

The effect ……………………………………..

b) The results could explain why night shift workers are more likely to suffer obesity and metabolic syndrome.

The results could explain why night shift workers will …………………….

c) Georgios Paschos, a research associate involved in the study, said: “A relatively modest shift in food consumption into what is normally the rest period for mice can favour energy storage. Our mice became obese without consuming more calories.”

Georgios Paschos said …………………………………………….

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

Modern lifestyle is making people lose healthy habits. Do you agree?