Eating early and intermittent fasting do not help with weight loss new research finds
WEIGHT loss diet plans have often recommended eating early in the day. It has often been said breakfast is the most important meal of the day. New research has refuted this and intermittent fasting diets.
Eating early in the day or eating during specific windows of time has no effect on weight loss. The study has shown this commonly held belief may not be as true as many think.
It also goes against intermittent fasting wisdom, which recommends only eating during restricted hours.
The research will be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020.
In the study 41 overweight adults took part. Of these, 21 ate in a time-restricted pattern.
They ate only at certain times and ate almost all their food before 1pm.
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The other 20 percent ate a normal times, during a 12-hour window, consuming half of their daily calories after 5pm for the entire 12 weeks.
However, regardless of when they ate the groups both lost weight.
Study author Nisa M. Maruthur, M.D., M.H.S., associate professor of medicine, epidemiology and nursing at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said "We have wondered for a long time if when one eats during the day affects the way the body uses and stores energy.
"Most prior studies have not controlled the number of calories, so it wasn't clear if people who ate earlier just ate fewer calories.
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"In this study, the only thing we changed was the time of day of eating."
So, it's not always essential to scoff down breakfast first time.
It also might go to show a recent trend towards intermittent fasting in dieting may yield results thanks to a placebo effect.
Intermittent fasting typically involves only eating within an eight-hour window daily, sometimes fewer hours.
The 5:2 diet, where dieters eat only 500 calories two days of the week while eating normally the other five, is a form of intermittent fasting too.
Proponents claim it can cause hormonal changes in the body that help with weight loss.
However, breakfast can still be great to get you set up for the day.
Holly Willoughby eats a diet breakfast of yoghurt, granola and berries with a strong coffee.
One of the best weight loss breakfasts, according to various studies, is eggs.
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Eggs are full of nutrients and protein, boosting the metabolism and keeping you full - according to the science.
David Wiener, Training Specialist at AI-based fitness and lifestyle coaching app Freeletics told Express.co.uk: “Eggs are rich in protein and are full of vital vitamins and minerals.
"Because they are high in protein, eggs can help to decrease your appetite, making you feel fuller for longer and even helping to reduce the amount you eat throughout the day.
“Eggs also contain an amino acid called leucine which acts as a catalyst in your body to burn fat and maintain muscle mass.”
