How fast is enough for a fasting meal to work?

Monday, 20 July 2020 (HealthDay News)-Restricting daily meals to narrow hours can help people lose excess weight, a small study found.

And limiting your diet to six hours may work as well as the more demanding four-hour time frame, the researchers have discovered.

In an eight-week trial, researchers found that one of two “time-limited” diets could help obese people lose a few pounds-on average, about 3% of their initial weight. But while diets have become a fashion epidemic, they seemed to work the old fashioned way: by reducing the daily calories of dieters.

One of the researchers in the study, Christa Baladdy, explained that a timed diet is considered a form of intermittent fasting. The principle is simple. People fast their meals at certain times of the day and for the rest of the time they fast, except for water and calorie-free drinks.

Baladi, a professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said weight-loss tactics are gaining popularity.

She explained that there is no calorie count, and people can eat whatever they want.

“All you have to do is look at the clock,” Baladi said. “People seem to like it far more than any other diet.”

The problem is that there is little scientific evidence that a timed diet works. Animal studies have suggested that intermittent fasting can generally have a wide range of effects, from reducing markers of inflammation in the body to changing the composition of intestinal bacteria and promoting weight loss.

But Baladi pointed out that laboratory mice are not human. Also, the time a fasted laboratory animal receives does not really reflect what people experience with a timed diet.

In a new study, Baladi and her colleagues tested two meal plans. The first was eating between 3 and 7 pm and fasting the rest. Other meals allowed a wider time frame of meals, from 1pm to 7pm

These times were chosen for practical reasons, Baladi said: “People love to have dinner with their families.”

The researchers randomly assigned 58 people to follow one of the time-restricted diets or stick to their normal diet and exercise routine.

Over eight weeks, both diet groups lost an average of about 3% of their body weight, while the comparison group remained stable. The short 4 hour window was not as effective as the long window.

Overall, the diet group showed no changes in inflammatory markers in their blood. But they reduced calories from their normal daily intake-about 550 per day in both groups. Baladi said he believes this is a complete explanation for weight loss.

So why not cut calories from the diet in the traditional way?

“People are tired of counting calories,” Baladi said. “This makes it easier.”

Timed meals are not easy. According to Baladdy, he or she tends to have headaches, dizziness, and nausea during the first week or two.

But when the body adapts to the new dietary schedule, those symptoms disappear.

But, like all diets, it’s not for everyone, Baladi said. For example, people taking medications that need to be taken with food may not be able to restrict their meal schedule. And people exercising in the morning may have trouble forgetting food until the afternoon, so a change in their routines may be necessary.

It is also unclear how general the current findings will be. Dr. Emily Gallagher, associate professor of medicine, endocrinology, diabetes and bone disease at Ikhan School of Medicine in Mount Sinai, New York City, said. She was not part of the study.

The study group was primarily women in their 40s, so results may be different for men and women of different ages, for example.

Another big question is whether people can stick to their diet in the “real world” and maintain their initial weight loss, she said.

According to Baladi, a diet plan is not an immediate solution and people will lose weight before returning to the old way.

And while the diet technically allows any food, eating junk food for four hours daily is probably unwise.

“Quality of food is important to your health,” Baladi said. “It’s still important to eat less processed foods and get more fruits and vegetables.”

Findings published online July 15th Cell metabolism..

For more information

Harvard Medical College Intermittent fasting..