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Is eating late at night really bad for you?!?!

April 17, 2020
Food and Sleep a good combination?

Imagine this, its been a long day of exams and work and you really want to just hang out with your friends for the night to simply relax. You and your friends are hanging out and time passes fast and next thing you know, it is 2 AM. Out of thin air, one of your friends says “I’m hungry, you guys want to go eat some Waffle House?”. You give in after a few minutes and decide to go get some food. After your Waffle House escapade, you return and are getting tired and go to bed when you enter your apartment door.  After you wake up the next morning, you realize that you shouldn’t have eaten before sleeping and regret your decision. After regretting such decision, you decide to not eat late at night due to the occurrence and instead sleep on an empty stomach. If you have been in a similar situation, it is time to evaluate possible decisions on what to do because certain decisions could lead to potential risks.

If you decide to sleep on an empty stomach, the decision might not be the best decision to make. Sleeping on empty stomach could lead to certain effects such as weight gain, loss of muscle mass, less energy, changes in mood, low insulin, and lack of sleep (The Sleep Advisor, 2020). However, you probably have been told that eating late at night could lead to weight gains. This idea has been an idea in many peoples’ heads for numerous of times and is a common misconception among many people. This idea of weight gains due to eating at night is based off studies that were conducted on animals rather than humans. This notion is supported by animals, but it doesn’t reflect how humans react to such thing. In fact, in 2016, a study was conducted on children in the UK that checked the association of the time of evening meals as well as the weight status of children. The results of the study indicated that there was no evidence that late eating habits led to excess weight in children (Meixner, 2018). With the study in mind, it is essentially better to watch what you eat before sleeping rather than when you eat. If you decide to eat a huge meal though before sleeping, examine the risks.

One of the major risks of eating large meals at night is the potential risk of Acid reflux (“This Is what Happens…”, 2018). In general terms, “Acid reflux occurs when contents from your stomach move up into your esophagus” (Healthline Editorial Team & Cruikshank, 2019). Acid reflux can essentially provide discomfort in an individual in their chest area and if commonly occurred, it will lead to other issues. In a study conducted in 2005, different scientists researched the association between gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) and the intervals between bedtime and a huge meal. In this case study, about 147 GERD patients and 294 Non-GERD patients were examined. With different comparisons made, the study concluded that if there is a small-time interval between your last huge meal and bedtime, then there is a significant change you could potentially develop GERD (Fujiwara et al., 2005, p. 2634). This study reflects the idea of eating a huge meal before sleeping. In no way it is saying that you cannot eat at all before sleeping. In fact, eating small healthy snacks before sleeping can be beneficial to one’s sleep as it may help one sleep better, may stabilize blood sugar in the morning, as well as aiding in weight loss (Jones, 2016). Before you sleep, think of the potential things you can do to get a good night’s rest.

If it is almost bedtime and you are feeling a bit hungry, think about what you can do to make sure you go to bed in a healthy manner. If you are very hungry at night, do not grab your bag of chips and chow down on that, instead eat a healthier snack. If you do not have any healthy snacks, don’t even bother going to your nearest fast food and eating that, instead cook something small and healthy and eat that instead. Again, it isn’t about when you eat, it is about what you eat!

Citations:

Fujiwara, Y., Machida, A., Watanabe, Y., Shiba, M., Tominaga, K., Watanabe, T., … Arakawa, T. (2005). Association Between Dinner-to-Bed Time and Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease. The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 100(12), 2633–2636. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1572-0241.2005.00354.x

Healthline Editorial Team, & Cruikshank, H. (2019, March 22). Everything You Need to Know About Acid Reflux and GERD. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/gerd

Jones, R. T. D. (2016, October 28). Is It Bad to Eat Before Bed? Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/eating-before-bed#section4

Meixner, M. (2018, October 2). Does Eating Late at Night Cause Weight Gain? Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/eating-at-night#circadian-rhythm

The Sleep Advisor. (2020, January 8). Going To Bed Hungry – Is It A Good Or Bad Thing? | Sleep Advisor. Retrieved from https://www.sleepadvisor.org/going-to-bed-hungry/

This Is what Happens to Your Body if You Eat Right Before Bed. (2018, December 6). Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kzvnjz/just-how-bad-is-it-to-eat-before-bed

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Hamza Hamid
About Author

Hamza is a third year Computer Science major with threads in media and people. Hamza is involved with the Muslims Student Association at Georgia Tech. His passions include photography and videography.

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  Timothy Durham was convicted of rape when a test showed his DNA genotype matched the DNA recovered from the crime scene. Eye witnesses testified that Durham was in a different state at the time of the incident, but he wasn’t exonerated from his 3000 year sentence until follow up DNA analysis showed that the preliminary forensic analysis used in the trial was misinterpreted (Thomas et al.). DNA testing serves an invaluable part in our criminal justice system, but it comes with complications and bias that can lead to wrongful convictions and misinformed juries.  

Background:

Forensic genetics aims to identify the origin of a biological sample. It can be traced back to Karl Landsteiner who discovered human ABO blood groups. With blood groups, suspects could be eliminated based on their blood type. For example, if a suspect had type A blood and there was type B blood left at the scene by the perpetrator, the investigators could rule out the suspect. Unfortunately, the reverse didn’t work. If the suspect and perpetrator both had the same blood type, it can’t be concluded that the suspect was guilty. Blood identifiers evolved into 8 distinct categories which improved the ability to eliminate suspects, but could only conclude that (if the system matched) it might be the perpetrator or this person might be related to the perpetrator (Jobling and Gill). The field evolved in the 1980s with the discovery of Minisatellites, lines of repetitive DNA that don’t encode proteins. Minisatellite patterns in DNA create what we know today as the DNA fingerprint, and it has a much higher accuracy rate than previous methods (Augustyn et al.). Around the same time, a breakthrough for victims of sexual assault was discovered. In the case of assault, bodily fluids of both the victim and the assaulter can get mixed. A process called differential lysis was created which could selectively increase the concentration of sperm in a fluid sample thereby allowing for accurate DNA testing (Jobling and Gill). Forensics evolved to use single-locus probe testing after several years because of its ease of interpretation. It looked at specific minisatellites that had high variability between subjects. This was the first DNA-based method to be used in a criminal investigation. Two murder homicides from several years apart were connected using DNA evidence. The evidence was then used to exonerate an innocent man, and the guilty party was found when he tried to evade mandatory DNA testing for all men in the small town. His guilt was then reinforced when the DNA profiles matched, and he gave a confession (Jobling and Gill). Finding DNA at a crime scene doesn’t guarantee that you’ll find a murderer. There are issues with non-pure samples and limited samples that make DNA work difficult, and accreditation of facilities and new techniques and take time (Jobling and Gill).  

Subjectivity of DNA Interpretation:

In a 2009 publication, the National Academy of Science discusses the possibility for subjective influence in lab based forensics. The interpretation bias happens in complex cases where, for example, there could be a mixture of DNA. A study published in 2011 looked specifically at this issue. A gang rape happened in Georgia, and the mixture in DNA from the case was used to prosecute one suspect after another suspect took a plea bargain to testify against him. With DNA mixtures, there are three possible conclusions: suspect excluded, suspect cannot be excluded, and inconclusive. If the suspect is excluded, it means that there’s little to no possibility that his DNA is part of the sample. If the suspect cannot be excluded, it means that there’s a possibility that his DNA is part of the sample. In the trial, the DNA examiners who knew the context of the case concluded that the suspect being prosecuted could not be excluded. The 2011 study gave the DNA evidence from this case and the DNA profiles of the suspects to 17 forensic examiners. These examiners had no context of the case, and they all worked independently. Of the 17, only 1 came to the same conclusion (suspect cannot be excluded) as the examiners who knew the context of the case. Twelve of the 17 concluded that the suspect who was prosecuted and convicted had no relation to the DNA found in the sample. Not only does this show that subjectivity occurs due to the context of the case, but the 17 examiners came up with different findings based on their past experiences meaning that not all DNA analysis is objective. Some organizations like the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods say that quantitative statistical evidence should be presented with every categorical conclusion, but the US doesn’t require this (Dror and Hampikian).

False Positives:

There are two categories that cause wrongful identification in a DNA report: coincidental matches and false positives. Coincidental matches are DNA matches between two unrelated people. The probability of these matches is about 1 to 500,000 for white individuals and about 1 to 350,000 for black individuals. This small probability of coincidental matches makes people feel confident in DNA evidence. False positives, on the other hand, are matches between DNA and test DNA that result from issues in the forensics lab. There have been multiple cases of forensics labs accidentally switching victim and suspected rapist DNA which lead to convictions that were later overturned when the lab realized the error. There are also cases of misreading or misunderstanding a sample. In a case from 1993, a man was convicted of rape because someone interpreted a mixed sample of victim and perpetrator DNA as an individual sample. The conviction was again overturned. To prevent false convictions, retesting DNA is allowed, but it’s not an efficient solution. Many people are pushing for statistical information on the probability of false positives, so that the jurors can make accurate judgements based on DNA evidence (Thomas et al.).  

Conclusion:

DNA analysis is a useful tool for the criminal justice system, but subjectivity can be an issue in forensic testing. To combat wrongful convictions, there are organizations like The Innocence Project who use DNA testing to free the innocent, but reformed forensic testing standards should be put in place to prevent subjectivity and to ensure juries are correctly informed during trials. https://www.innocenceproject.org/    

Citation:

Augustyn , Adam, et al. “DNA Finerprinting.” Encyclopedia Britannica , 26 Apr. 2018, www.britannica.com/science/DNA-fingerprinting#ref153186. Dror, Itiel E., and Greg Hampikian. “Subjectivity and Bias in Forensic DNA Mixture Interpretation.” Science & Justice, vol. 51, no. 4, 2011, pp. 204–208., doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2011.08.004. Jobling, Mark A., and Peter Gill. “Encoded Evidence: DNA in Forensic Analysis.” Nature Reviews: Genetics, vol. 5, no. 10, Oct. 2004, pp. 739–751., doi:10.1038/nrg1455. Thompson, William C, et al. “How the Probability of a False Positive Affects the Value of DNA Evidence.” Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 48, no. 1, Jan. 2003, pp. 1–8., doi:10.1520/jfs2001171.