A 10-week pilot study has shown promising results for weight loss when time-restricted eating over an 8- to 10-hour window is applied.
The human study followed a number of recent mice studies, which suggested that simply restricting daily eating times, regardless of the amount and types of calories consumed, leads to weight loss and improvements in metabolic health.
Researchers divided study participants into two groups. Group 1 was instructed to eat foods as desired, but to delay their typical breakfast by 90 minutes and eat their dinner 90 minutes earlier, restricting eating to a 10-hour window during the day. Group 2 (the control group) was told to continue their daily meals and foods as they normally would with no restrictions or modifications.
Both groups kept food diaries. Group 1 study subjects – by restricting eating to a smaller window – lost more than twice as much body fat as Group 2. Forty-three percent of Group 1 study subjects felt like the intervention was easy and that it could be maintained over the long term.
Still need tips to lose weight? Here are a few strategies to avoid for sustainable weight maintenance.
Dr. Ann Kulze is founder and CEO of Just Wellness and has a knack for breaking down the science of healthy eating and living into simple and easily digestible messages. She has been featured on “Dr. Oz,” “Oprah and Friends,” WebMD and U.S. News & World Report. Alabama NewsCenter is publishing advice from Dr. Ann.
