Health: Meal Timing is Strategic

#health #food #meal #fasting #appetite #weight #energy

"Intermittent fasting can be challenging, but new research shows it might have benefits regarding appetite suppression and weight loss"-- Paul Ebeling

According to researchers, meal timing strategies like eating earlier in the day or intermittent fasting seem to help individuals lose weight by reducing appetite instead of burning more calories.

The study reveals how meal timing has an effect on 24-hr energy metabolism when intake of food and meal frequency is matched. Coordinating meal time with circadian rhythms, or the internal clock of the body, could be an effective method for appetite reduction and the improvement of metabolic health.

The study also reveals that meal timing strategies could help individuals in burning more fat in a 24-hr period on average. Early Time-Restricted Feeding (eTRF), a type of intermittent fasting when dinner is eaten in the afternoon every day, helped in improving the ability to change from burning carbohydrates for energy to burning fat for energy, an element of metabolism called metabolic flexibility.

Eleven adult men and women who had excess weight were enrolled for the study. Individuals 20 – 45 anni and in general good health were permitted to take part if they had a bodyweight between 68 and 100 kg, a BMI between 25 and 35 kg/m2, regularly going to bed between 9:30p and 12a, and a regular menstrual cycle for women.

Individuals experimented with 2 different meal timing strategies randomly ordered: a control schedule where individuals ate 3 meals in a 12-hr period having breakfast at 8:00a and having dinner at 8:00p, and an eTRF schedule where individuals ate 3 meals spanning a 6 hr period having breakfast at 8:00a. and having dinner at 2:00p. The same quantities and kinds of foods were eaten on both of the schedules. Daily fasting periods for the control schedule were 12 hrs, while the daily eTRF fasting schedule was 18 hrs.

The eTRF didn't significantly affect how many calories were burned, but it did reduce levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin and improved some elements of appetite. Fat-burning was also increased in the 24-hr day.

Eat healthy, Be healthy, Live lively