LONGER OVERNIGHT FAST AND EARLY BREAKFAST ARE BETTER FOR WEIGHT LOSS

-

 

LONGER OVERNIGHT FAST AND EARLY BREAKFAST ARE BETTER FOR WEIGHT LOSS

The study suggests new patterns in the relationship between mealtimes and body weight.

    

To control weight, we must consider what and when we eat. According to a study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, two specific habits are associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) in the long term: keeping a longer overnight fast and eating breakfast early. This research was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation.

The study involved more than 7,000 volunteers aged 40 to 65 from the GCAT | Genomes for Life cohort, a project led by the Germans Trias I Pujol Research Institute (IGTP). In 2018, participants answered questionnaires about their weight, height, eating habits, meal times, other lifestyle habits, and socioeconomic status. In 2023, after five years, more than 3,000 participants made a follow-up visit to the research team, where their measurements were re-recorded and new questionnaires were completed.

Interpretation of results

"Our results, in line with other recent studies, suggest that extending the overnight fast could help maintain a healthy weight if accompanied by an early dinner and breakfast. We think this may be because eating earlier in the day is more aligned with circadian rhythms and allows for better calorie burning and appetite regulation, which can help maintain a healthy weight. However, it is too soon to draw definitive conclusions, so recommendations will have to wait for more robust evidence," explains Luciana Pons-Muzzoa, a researcher at ISGlobal at the time of the study and currently at IESE Business School.

Gender differences

Analysis of the data by gender showed that, compared to men, women generally showed lower BMI, higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet, lower propensity to consume alcohol, poorer mental health, and were more likely to be responsible for household or family supervision.

The team used a statistical technique called 'cluster analysis' to group individuals with similar characteristics. From this analysis, the authors were struck by a small group of men whose first meal of the day was after 2:00 PM and who, on average, fasted for 17 hours. Compared to the rest, this group of men tended to have less healthy lifestyles (more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, have less physical activity, and have less adherence to the Mediterranean diet), lower educational attainment and were more likely to be unemployed. These patterns were not observed in any group of women.

On intermittent fasting

"There are different ways of practicing what is known as 'intermittent fasting,' and our study relates to one of them, which is overnight fasting. What we observed in a subgroup of men who do intermittent fasting by skipping breakfast is that this practice has no effect on body weight. Other intervention studies in participants with obesity have shown that this tactic is no more effective than reducing calorie intake in reducing body weight in the long term," says Camille Lassale, ISGlobal researcher and senior co-author of the study.

"Our research is part of an emerging field of research known as 'Chrono nutrition,' which focuses not only on analyzing what we eat but also the times of day and the number of times we eat," says Anna Palomar-Cros, a researcher at ISGlobal at the time of the study and currently at IDIAP Jordi Gol. "At the basis of this research is the knowledge that unusual food intake patterns can conflict with the circadian system, the set of internal clocks that regulate the cycles of night and day and the physiological processes that must accompany them," she adds.

Previous studies

This study provides continuity to a line of research on Chrono nutrition, which has published two other studies with similar results in recent years. In these studies, eating dinner and breakfast early was associated with a respective risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PEOPLE WITH OBESITY BURN LESS CALORIES DURING THE DAY

-
Image
  PEOPLE WITH OBESITY BURN LESS CALORIES DURING THE DAY Building on prior studies with healthy-weight participants, the new research includes different body sizes.         New research indicates that weight influences how and when bodies burn energy. An Oregon Health & Science University study published in the journal  Obesity  found people who have a healthy weight use more energy during the day, when most people are active and eat, while those who are obese spend more energy during the night when most people sleep. The study also found that during the day, those with obesity have higher levels of the hormone insulin -- a sign that the body is working harder to use glucose, an energy-packed sugar. "It was surprising to learn how dramatically the timing of when our bodies burn energy differed in those with obesity," said the study's first author, Andrew McHill, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the OHSU School of Nursing and the Oregon Institute of ...
Read more

WHAT CAUSES ITCHING, AND WHAT STOPS IT?

-
Image
  WHAT CAUSES ITCHING, AND WHAT STOPS IT?         It can be a relief to scratch the occasional itch, but when itch gets out of control, it can become a severe health problem. How does the body know when to stop? Scientists at UC San Francisco are getting close to an answer. In a breakthrough that could transform how doctors treat conditions from eczema to allergies, they have discovered a feedback loop centered on a single immune protein called IL-31 that causes the urge to itch and dials back nearby inflammation. The findings, published on October 13th in  Science Immunology , lay the groundwork for a new generation of drugs that interact more intelligently with the body's innate self-regulating ability. Previous approaches suggested that IL-31 signals itch and promotes skin inflammation. However, the UCSF team discovered that nerve cells, or neurons, that respond to IL-31, triggering a scratch, also prevent immune cells from overreacting and causing more ...
Read more

A VEGAN DIET IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY

-
Image
  A VEGAN DIET IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY         In a study with 22 pairs of identical twins, Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues have found that a vegan diet improves cardiovascular health in as little as eight weeks. Although it's well-known that eating less meat improves cardiovascular health, diet studies often need to be enhanced by genetic differences, upbringing, and lifestyle choices. By studying identical twins, however, the researchers were able to control for genetics and limit the other factors, as the twins grew up in the same households and reported similar lifestyles. "Not only did this study provide a groundbreaking way to assert that a vegan diet is healthier than the conventional omnivore diet, but the twins were also a riot to work with," said Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor and a professor of medicine. "They dressed the same, they talked the same, and they had a banter ...
Read more