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Study: Early fasting window best for metabolic improvements

Dr. Bikman (@benbikmanphd) • Instagram photos and videos

A New Twist on Intermittent Fasting, According to New Study | by Kelan Ern | Aug, 2022 | Medium

Effectiveness of Early Time-Restricted Eating for Weight Loss, Fat Loss, and Cardiometabolic Health in Adults With Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial | Lifestyle Behaviors | JAMA Internal Medicine | JAMA Network

Dr. Sacha Panda’s work on metabolic health and circadian rhythms is a great source for more info on this topic.

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Answer

Research published by JAMA Internal Medicine looked at specifically the impact of eating during 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. That means subjects would only eat during this 8-hour window of time. Then they would fast until the next morning. This regimen would go on for 14 weeks.

Researchers estimated that simply doing eTRE each day was equivalent to dropping 214 calories each day (which doesn’t sound like much, but can add up over time).

Why it works is still open for debate but according to the researchers:“Because key circadian rhythms in metabolism — such as insulin sensitivity and thermic effect of food — peak in the morning, eTRE may confer additional benefits relative to other forms of TRE [time restricted eating]”

Answer

Can someone help me understand these articles. They compare an 8 hour eTRE to subjects that eat over periods of 12+ hours. How does that speak to the benefit of early fasting vs doing an 8 hour fast later in the day? Am I missing something?

Answer

I think what I’m seeing there is it’s more beneficial to have your eating window start as soon as you wake up and start your fast well ahead of bedtime.

Sucks for me. I like to eat late, so I don’t have my first meal until 1PM.

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