United States: According to a team of US scientists, the diet is effective for weight loss and blood sugar regulation only when an individual is eating fewer calories than they need.
This means that the amount of calorie intake is more important than the timing.
More about the study
As per the reports, those people who are obese and are stuck to a ten-hour eating window of – 8 am to 6 pm, where they consume most of the calories in the morning, lose 2.3kg or 5.1lbs over a period of twelve weeks on average, Dailymail reported.
To make a comparison, volunteers of the study ate between 8 am and midnight and consumed most of the calories in the evening, where they managed to lose 2.6 kg or 5.7 lbs.
Both set volunteers ate only an expert-recommended diet, which included a balance of fruit and vegetables and whole grains with no junk food added. However, a little saturated fat was also present in the diet.
As per Nisa Maruthur, who is the study co-author and an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, “It makes us think that people who benefit from time-restricted eating — meaning they lose weight — it’s probably from them eating fewer calories because their time window’s shorter and not something else,” DailyMail reported.
Different studies reports
However, although other studies do reaffirm its effectiveness, experts remain divided over its effectiveness and long-term health impacts.
Some even argue that fasters generally consume a comparatively larger portion of food in one go, which means they don’t cut back on their calories, which is considered a known way of beating the urge to eat more.
Experts even warn against that as it might increase the risk of strokes, heart attacks, and even early death.
The scientists examined the data from forty-one participating individuals aged 59 and with an average BMI of 36.
At the beginning of the study, the experts took into account the participants’ background and their activity levels to measure baseline caloric needs.
The participants then received prepared meals, which had the same macronutrient and micronutrient compositions.
They all consumed the same amount of calories on a daily basis throughout the study. During the eating window, the trial did not pose restrictions on beverages if they were calorie- and caffeine-free.
After the passage of a twelve-week period, the scientists discovered no major difference in fasting glucose, waist circumference, blood pressure, or lipid levels.
Therefore, the study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine said, “Time-restricted eating did not decrease weight or improve glucose homeostasis relative to a usual eating pattern.”
“This suggests that any effects of time-restricted eating on weight in prior studies may be due to reductions in caloric intake,” Dailymail reported.