Time of day you eat can be pivotal in weight gain/loss management

Eating a balanced, healthy diet is especially beneficial for older individuals since it promotes longer, healthier lives. Image from freepik

Eating a balanced, healthy diet is especially beneficial for older individuals since it promotes longer, healthier lives. Image from freepik

Published Aug 11, 2022

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We have been witness to many ways of weight management. Could early time-restricted eating be more effective for weight loss?

Research reported in JAMA Internal Medicine revealed that early time-restricted eating for a period of 8 hours between 7am and 3pm improved mood, blood pressure control, and weight loss in individuals with obesity more effectively than a group that ate in an eating window longer than 12 hours.

The act of alternating between extended fasting and eating is known as intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting has received praise in recent years for helping people reduce their weight and body fat.

Time-restricted eating, which is defined as eating within a consistent window of 10 hours or less and fasting for the rest of the day, is one form of intermittent fasting that is particularly promising.

Time-restricted eating, which is defined as eating within a consistent window of 10 hours or less and fasting for the rest of the day, is one form of intermittent fasting that is particularly promising. image from freepik

TRE (Time-restricted eating) has been shown in studies to prevent and reverse diet-induced obesity in rodents. TRE increases fat burning.

The early time-restricted eating plan required the study participants to consume 500 calories less per day between the hours of 7am and 3pm than their resting energy consumption.

Furthermore, researchers found that the impact of early time-restricted eating on participants with obesity was the equivalent of decreasing calorie intake by 214 calories a day.

The study tested an early version of Time Restricted Eating called early TRE (eTRE), which involves stopping eating in the afternoon and fasting throughout the day.

Due to the fact that eTRE has a greater effect on key circadian rhythms in metabolism - such as insulin sensitivity and food thermal effects - in the morning than other types of TRE, the study authors suggest it could provide additional benefits.

The study's authors concluded that at 14 weeks, "early time-restricted eating (eTRE) was more beneficial for weight loss and decreasing diastolic blood pressure than eating throughout a period of 12 or more hours.

It’s crucial to eat a range unprocessed and fresh foods daily aids in ensuring that both children and adults receive the proper amounts of essential nutrients.

You also benefit by avoiding diets that are heavy in salt, sugar, and fat, which can result in unhealthy weight gain (overweight, obesity, and non-communicable diseases).

Moreover, eating a balanced, healthy diet is especially beneficial for older individuals since it promotes longer, healthier lives.

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