Switching off the lights could help you lose weight R

If you’re wondering how to lose weight, you’re better off being kept in the dark. 

According to a study, those living in well-lit towns or cities are more likely to become obese than country dwellers – even if they eat the same amount.

Scientists believe that the glow of street lights encourages late-night snacking, and because food eaten close to bedtime is less likely to be burned off, it is often stored as fat. 

Bright idea! American researchers believe that the glow of street lights towards bedtime is likely to encourage late-night snacking

But before you swap calorie counting for a blackout blind, it seems that all unnatural light could have the same effect – including that from computer screens and TVs.

American researchers found that mice who were exposed to a dim light at night put on 50 per cent more weight than those whose cages were left dark.

 

Both groups were given the exact same amount of food, and did similar levels of physical activity, but the mice whose cages were lit ate more than half their food at times when they would normally be resting or asleep. 

Professor Randy Nelson from Ohio State University said: ‘Light at night is an environmental factor that may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in ways that people don’t expect.’