Email

Timing Key To Prevent Or Reverse Obesity

Is it “Exercise and eat right” or “Exercise and eat at the right time”?/Image” HealthMeUp

When it comes to preventing or reversing obesity timing really is everything. A new study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California and published this week in the journal Cell Metabolismindicates that limiting one’s food consumption to a specific 8-12 hour window during the day may could be more effective in preventing diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity.

Is it “Exercise and eat right” or “Exercise and eat at the right time”?/Image” HealthMeUp

Satchidananda Panda, associate professor at Salk Institute stated: “These days, most of the advice is, ‘You have to change nutrition, you have to eat a healthy diet. But many people don’t have access to healthy diets. So the question is, without access to a healthy diet, can they still practice time-restricted feeding and reap some benefit?”

Panda and his colleagues chose 400 mice that ranged from normal to obese in terms of weight. They put them on a diet wherein they would only feed them over varying lengths of time.

In the end, the research team determined that the rodents that were fed a high-fat diet but only within a specific 12-hour time slot actually became thinner and healthier than the other mice that were permitted to eat the same high-fat food and the same number of calories any time they chose. Additionally, test results were the same for a high sugar diet and a high fruit sugar diet as well.

Amandine Caix, lead study author and postdoctoral researcher, said: The fact that it worked no matter what the diet, and the fact that it worked over the weekend and weekdays, was a very nice surprise.” Overall, time-restricted feeding can be a highly effective behavioral intervention that “de-emphasizes caloric intake, hence making it an attractive and easily adoptable lifestyle modification.” The team concluded that a randomized control trial would demonstrate whether this strategy would work for humans wishing to reverse or prevent obesity.

 

Related posts

High-potency cannabis use leaves a distinct mark on DNA – new research

What causes burnout at work, and how can we prevent it?

What you need to know about cold and flu season