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Intermittent fasting (IF), a popular weight-loss strategy that involves restricting your daily eating schedule to a set time frame, has received a boost from new research. According to the largest UK community research project to date, adhering to a 10-hour eating window could significantly improve your mood, energy levels, and appetite control.
The study, presented at the European Nutrition Conference by researchers from King’s College London, analyzed data from over 37,000 participants using the ZOE Health app. Participants initially followed their regular eating patterns for a week, before transitioning to a 10-hour eating window for two weeks. The results revealed several key findings:
- Significant improvements in mood, energy, and hunger: Individuals who consistently adhered to the 10-hour eating window reported improvements in mood, energy levels, and a better ability to manage hunger compared to those who didn’t maintain a consistent eating schedule.
- 10-hour window offers benefits without excessive restriction: While some IF advocates promote shorter eating windows of six hours, the study suggests that a 10-hour window can be equally effective and more manageable for most people.
- Longer eating windows provide even greater benefits: Participants who started with a longer eating window before the intervention experienced even greater improvements to their health after adopting the 10-hour approach.
Dr. Sarah Berry, the study’s lead author and chief scientist at ZOE, highlighted the significance of the findings: “This is the largest study outside of a tightly controlled clinic to show that intermittent fasting can improve your health in a real-world setting. What’s really exciting is that the findings show that you don’t have to be very restrictive to see positive results. A ten-hour eating window, which was manageable for most people, improved mood, energy levels and hunger.”
Kate Bermingham, another researcher involved in the study, emphasized the importance of timing in addition to food choices: “This study adds to the growing body of evidence showing the importance of how you eat. The health impact of food is not just what you eat but the time at which you choose to consume your meals, and eating window is an important dietary behaviour that can be beneficial for health. Findings show that we don’t need to be eating all the time. Many people will feel satiated and even lose weight if they restrict their food to a ten-hour window.”
These findings offer encouraging evidence for the potential benefits of incorporating a 10-hour eating window into your daily routine. While further research is needed, this study suggests that simple changes in eating patterns could significantly impact your mood, energy levels, and overall well-being.
