[Health Tip] Increasing Late-Night Snack Consumption... Elevated Risk of Hyperlipidemia

Recently, as the use of delivery applications (apps) has increased, late-night snack consumption has naturally risen as well. However, frequently eating late-night snacks can lead to poor digestion in the morning, resulting in a loss of appetite and a repetitive cycle of eating again at night. If this lifestyle pattern continues, the biological clock may malfunction abnormally, causing what is known as 'night eating syndrome,' where individuals seek food before falling asleep or even during sleep.

Lee Ji-eun, head of the Internal Medicine Center at Incheon Himchan General Hospital, said, “Falling asleep without burning calories at night can easily lead to obesity. There is also a high possibility of accompanying vascular diseases such as hyperlipidemia, digestive disorders, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and functional gastrointestinal disorders, so caution is necessary.”

[Photo by Himchan Hospital]

If a habit of enjoying late-night snacks develops, the brain may mistake the time of eating as a meal time and secrete the appetite hormone ghrelin, causing hunger symptoms late at night. Frequent late-night snacking can also reduce the secretion of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone, leading to night eating syndrome that disrupts daily life and increases the risk of hyperlipidemia.

Particularly, as the prevalence of hyperlipidemia among young people who enjoy late-night snacks has sharply increased recently, caution is needed. According to the Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis, 4 out of 10 adults aged 20 and over have hyperlipidemia. The number of patients is also increasing annually, with increased consumption of foods high in saturated and trans fats such as fast food and instant foods, as well as increased delivery food consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic being cited as causes. According to the National Health Insurance Service’s public interest disease statistics, the number of hyperlipidemia patients rose from about 1.88 million in 2017 to about 2.59 million in 2021, an increase of approximately 38%. The increase among young patients in their teens and twenties who enjoy late-night snacks was much higher than average, with a 92.9% increase in males and a staggering 105.7% increase in females.

Hyperlipidemia is simply a condition where lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) accumulate in the blood in amounts exceeding what is necessary. Typically, after fasting blood tests, hyperlipidemia is diagnosed if total cholesterol is 200 mg/dl or higher, triglycerides are 150 mg/dl or higher, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, known as bad cholesterol, is 160 mg/dl or higher. However, LDL cholesterol target levels vary depending on risk factors such as the presence of hypertension, smoking, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, family history of early coronary artery disease, and age.

In the early stages of hyperlipidemia, clear symptoms do not appear, making it easy to neglect. When blood vessels narrow due to hyperlipidemia, occasional signs such as tingling in the heart or back of the neck or a bulging Achilles tendon may appear, but most of the time it is not visible externally. If left untreated for a long time, poor blood circulation can cause arteriosclerosis, and in severe cases, blocked blood vessels can lead to serious vascular diseases such as stroke, myocardial infarction, and angina, so special attention is required.

There are various causes of hyperlipidemia, but many are due to poor dietary habits such as excessive late-night snacking and frequent drinking. Common late-night snacks like chicken and beer, pizza, ramen, and hamburgers are representative high-calorie, high-fat foods. Additionally, eating rice or noodles after meat combines saturated fats and carbohydrates, which is a shortcut to accumulating cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. Ultimately, LDL cholesterol levels gradually rise, blood becomes sticky, and waste accumulates in blood vessels, causing hyperlipidemia.

The most important factor in preventing and treating hyperlipidemia is normalizing blood lipid levels through dietary therapy. It is essential to eat three meals a day at regular times and avoid late-night snacks and overeating as much as possible. The core of dietary therapy is to reduce calorie intake, lower saturated fat and cholesterol consumption, and increase fiber intake. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes rich in soluble dietary fiber, and blue-backed fish help lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Along with dietary control, regular exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, four times a week, is necessary. Aerobic exercises such as jogging, swimming, and hiking are good for reducing blood lipids, and triglycerides, in particular, can be easily reduced with a small amount of exercise.

Lee Ji-eun said, “If blood lipid levels do not decrease despite dietary therapy and regular exercise, it is recommended to combine appropriate medication to block cholesterol synthesis and control bad cholesterol (LDL) at low levels.”