Fasting for 14 hours a day could make you feel less hungry, have more energy and improve your mood, according to a new study.
Findings from a study show that limiting your food intake to a set 10-hour window, such as only eating between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., can have positive health benefits.
Some proponents of intermittent fasting recommend restrictive eating windows of just six hours, such as eating all foods between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
However, a team of researchers from King’s College London found that less restrictive time windows can still lead to positive changes in mood, energy and hunger.
Some proponents of intermittent fasting recommend restrictive eating windows of just six hours, such as eating all foods between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m
The researchers used the ZOE app, which allows participants to log their health status on a daily basis.
More than 37,000 people who used the app took part in the study, which asked them to eat normally for a week and only eat during a 10-hour eating window for the next two weeks.
They were also asked to log information about their mood, energy and hunger.
The analysis found that those who fasted for 14 hours a day reported higher energy and mood and were less hungry.
Those who were consistent with their eating window had greater benefits than those who varied their eating window from day to day.
And almost all participants chose to continue the intervention for additional weeks.
Dr. Sarah Berry, researcher at King’s College London and senior scientist at ZOE, said: “This is the largest study outside a strictly controlled clinic to show that intermittent fasting can improve your health in a real-world setting.”
“What’s really exciting is that the results show that you don’t have to be very restrictive to see positive results.”
“A 10-hour eating window, which was manageable for most people, improved mood, energy levels and hunger.”
“We found for the first time that those who practiced time-restricted eating habits but did not eat consistently every day did not experience the same positive health effects as those who committed themselves every day.”‘
Kate Bermingham, who was also involved in the research, added: “This study adds to the growing body of evidence showing how important what you eat matters.”
“The health effects of food depend not only on what you eat, but also when you eat your meals. The eating window is an important dietary behavior that can have a positive impact on health.”
“The results show that we don’t need to eat all the time.” “Many people feel full and even lose weight when they limit their food intake to a ten-hour window.”
The summary was presented at the European Nutrition Conference in Belgrade, Serbia.
Current findings, including from the ZOE app, suggest that snacking after 9 p.m. could be harmful to your health.
More than 800 people in the UK were asked to record every snack they ate for two to four days. Their blood sugar levels, which are linked to the risk of type 2 diabetes, and their blood lipid levels, which are linked to the risk of heart attacks and strokes, were then analyzed.
People who said they ate something after 9 p.m. had worse measurements than those who didn’t eat anything after that time.
What should a balanced diet look like?
According to the NHS, meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains
• Eat at least 5 servings of different fruits and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables count
• Basic meals are potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains
• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is equivalent to eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole-grain cereal cookies, 2 thick slices of whole-grain bread, and a large baked potato with skin on
• Consume some dairy products or milk alternatives (e.g. soy drinks) and choose options with less fat and less sugar
• Eat some beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 servings of fish every week, one of which should be oily)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume them in small quantities
• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water daily
• Adults should consume less than 6g of salt and 20g of saturated fat for women and 30g for men per day
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide