Reducing calories might be more effective than intermittent fasting

According to research the number and quantity of meals were more important predictors of weight gain or reduction than the interval between mealsThe findings of the study were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association an openaccess peerreviewed journal of the American Heart AssociationAccording to the senior study author Wendy L Bennett MD MPH an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore although timerestricted eating patterns known as intermittent fasting are popular rigorously designed studies have not yet determined whether limiting the total eating window during the day helps to control weightThis study evaluated the association between time from the first meal to the last meal with weight change Nearly 550 adults 18 years old or older from three health systems in Maryland and Pennsylvania with electronic health records were enrolled in the study Participants had at least one weight and height measurement registered in the two years prior to the studys enrollment period FebJuly 2019Overall most participants 8037 reported they were white adults 1237 selfreported as Black adults and about 337 selfidentified as Asian adults Most participants reported having a college education or higher the average age was 51 years and the average body mass index was 308 which is considered obese The average followup time for weight recorded in the electronic health record was 63 yearsParticipants with a higher body mass index at enrollment were more likely to be Black adults older have Type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure have a lower education level exercise less eat fewer fruits and vegetables have a longer duration from last mealtime to sleep and a shorter duration from first to last meal compared to the adults who had a lower body mass indexThe research team created a mobile application Daily24 for participants to catalog sleeping eating and wakeup time for each 24hour window in realtime Emails text messages and inapp notifications encouraged participants to use the app as much as possible during the first month and again during power weeks one week per month for the sixmonth intervention portion of the studyBased on the timing of sleeping and eating each day recorded in the mobile app researchers were able to measurethe time from the first meal to the last meal each day the time lapse from waking to the first meal and the interval from the last meal to sleep They calculated an average for all data from completed days for each participantThe data analysis foundMeal timing was not associated with weight change during the sixyear followup period This includes the interval from first to last meal from waking up to eating a first meal from eating the last meal to going to sleep and total sleep duration Total daily number of large meals estimated at more than 1000 calories and medium meals estimated at 5001000 calories were each associated with increased weight over the sixyear follow up while fewer small meals estimated at less than 500 calories was associated with decreasing weight The average time from first to last meal was 115 hours average time from wake up to first meal measured 16 hours average time from last meal to sleep was 4 hours and average sleep duration was calculated at 75 hours The study did not detect an association meal timing and weight change in a population with a wide range of body weight As reported by Bennett even though prior studies have suggested intermittent fasting may improve the bodys rhythms and regulate metabolism this study in a large group with a wide range of body weights did not detect this link Largescale rigorous clinical trials of intermittent fasting on longterm weight change are extremely difficult to conduct however even shortterm intervention studies may be valuable to help guide future recommendationsAlthough the study found that meal frequency and total calorie intake were stronger risk factors for weight change than meal timing the findings could not prove direct cause and effect according to lead study author Di Zhao PhD an associate scientist in the division of cardiovascular and clinical epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthResearchers note there are limitations to the study since they did not evaluate the complex interactions of timing and frequency of eating Additionally since the study is observational in nature the authors were unable to conclude cause and effect Future studies should work toward including a more diverse population since the majority of the studys participants were welleducated white women in the midAtlantic region of the US the authors noted authorResearchers also were not able to determine the intentionality of weight loss among study participants prior to their enrollment and could not rule out the additional variable of any preexisting health conditionsAccording to the American Heart Associations 2022 statistics 4037 of adults in the US are obese and the Associations current diet and lifestyle recommendations to reduce cardiovascular disease risk include limiting overall calorie intake eating healthy foods and increasing physical activityThe 2017 American Heart Association scientific statement Meal Timing and Frequency Implications for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention did not offer clear preference for frequent small meals or intermittent fasting It noted that irregular patterns of total caloric intake appear to be less favorable for the maintenance of body weight and optimal cardiovascular health And altering meal frequency may not be useful for decreasing body weight or improving traditional cardiometabolic risk factorsRead More Study reveals that diverse healthy eating patterns can lower the risk of premature deathThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday 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