Weight loss plans can be plentiful and confusing, but one new study suggests eating earlier in the day could be an effective strategy to shed pounds.
Intermittent fasting is a trendy weight loss method which involves eating during certain periods of the day. One popular advocate for the method is 5:2 diet creator Michael Mosley.
Dieters will have heard advice on cutting down on late night snacks, but dinner at 2pm is an unusual bit of advice. However, new research has emerged which recommends restricting eating to eight hour periods - and to stop eating from 3pm.
A study from University of Alabama, Birmingham set out to find what was more effective for losing weight and body fat by comparing eating over 12 or more hours - the more traditional practice - or a form of intermittent fasting called time-restricted eating (TRE).
The trial involved 90 participants with obesity aged 25 to 75 who had similar calorie-controlled diets. They were randomly assigned to either method, with the TRE group only eating between 7am and 3pm.
Over the course of 14 weeks, the team measured the participants' weight loss and body fat, plus health markers including blood pressure, heart rate, and levels of glucose and insulin.
According to the researchers, eating over an eight-hour period ending at 3pm could be better for weight loss.
They found early time-restricted eating was more effective for losing weight and improving blood pressure and mood. People in the TRE group lost an average of 6.3kg (almost 14lb) in comparison to the other group’s average of 4kg (almost 9lb).
When it came to burning fat, eating over a period of 12 or more hours was more effective with an average fat loss of 4.7kg versus 3.4kg (10.36lbs vs 7.5 lbs).
The study claims the 3pm cutoff time was "feasible" for most participants who led busy lives. They concluded: "Early time-restricted eating was more effective for weight loss than eating over a window of 12 or more hours; larger studies are needed on fat loss."
Co-author and Harvard professor Dr Shalender Bhasin dubbed the TRE intermittent fasting method a "promising idea", but cautioned that larger studies were needed to confirm its benefits.
He wrote: "Substantially larger randomized clinical trials of longer duration are needed to comprehensively evaluate the hypothesized benefits and risks of long-term TRE of calorically restricted diets in adults. For now, TRE is a promising idea in need of stronger clinical trial evidence to support its benefits and long-term safety."
The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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