After Hour Food Spooks

For some people, late-night snacking is more than a bad habit; it’s pathology. Raiding the refrigerator before you fall asleep may be a symptom of a bigger problem than impulse control. If your favorite late-night companion is peanut butter then maybe your social life isn’t the only thing that needs attention. Carbohydrate-rich peanut butter is the preferred first choice in comfort foods for those who suffer from nocturnal eating syndrome.

Overeating in the evening, lack of daytime appetite, and insomnia are classic symptoms of this serious, frequently untreated clinical illness, which is believed to affect 1.5 percent of the world’s population. Dr. Albert J. Stunkard of the University of Pennsylvania first diagnosed this highly complex ailment in 1955. Multi-faceted, nocturnal eating syndrome has numerous behavioral and hormonal components. Read more...