New research published in the Journal of The American Heart Association reveals some mysteries surrounding intermittent fasting. The main conclusion is that there is no relationship between the times of snack and weight loss in study participants. They even observed that the frequency and amount of food had a greater impact on weight gain than the interval between meals.
Intermittent fasting: myth or truth?
The study, conducted by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, analyzed more than 500 adults. The aim was to find out whether there really was a connection between the time of the last meal and the weight gain of the participants. dr Wendy Bennett, a professor who conducted the study, says that despite intermittent fasting’s popularity, there is still no study to prove its effectiveness in practice.
analysis design
The study was conducted over six years with 550 adults, always assessing the correlation between weight gain and time between meals. The participants came from three health centers in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The volunteers’ weight was measured at least once before the enrollment periods, in addition to their height, approximately two years before the start of the study.
Of the volunteers, 80% of the participants were White adults, 12% Black adults, and 3% Asian adults.
Most of the participants had a tertiary education and the average age of all was 51 years. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 30.8 and was considered obesity grade 1. The followup time of the participants was 6.3 years. The researchers created a Application which marked the time to sleep, wake up and eat, which guided the participants daily.
study results
The researchers found that the time between meals was not associated with weight change during the sixyear followup period. They also observed that the number of calories in meals was linked to weight gain, while small meals (less than 500 calories) were linked to fat loss.
Finally, the study found no association between meals and weight change in a population with a wide range of body weights.