Consuming meals within a 10-hour time frame has been linked to increased energy, mood, and reduced hunger levels, according to recent findings from the largest community science study in the UK
Intermitted fasting (IF), a widely embraced weight loss approach, involves confining food intake into a specific timeframe. Adopting a ten-hour window entails restricting daily eating to that duration and abstaining from food for the remaining 14 hours. For example, if your first meal is at 9 am, you should finish eating at 7 pm.
While some IF advocates suggest limiting your eating window to as little as 6 hours, findings indicate that eating within a 10-hour window can still have positive health benefits, including changes in energy levels and mood and hunger.
10 hour eating window
Individuals who maintain a constant eating window experience more significant benefits than those who vary their daily eating window.
Dr Sarah Berry from King’s College London and chief scientist at ZOE said: “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, and improved mood, energy levels and hunger. We found for the first time that those who practised time-restricted eating, but were not consistent day to day, did not have the same positive health effects as those who were dedicated every day.”
Three weeks of dietary changes
Using the ZOE health app, 37,545 people completed the core intervention period of three weeks. In the initial week, the participants were instructed to maintain their regular eating habits, followed by adopting a ten-hour eating window for the next two weeks.
Of the total participants, 36,231 chose to extend their participation for additional weeks, and 27,371 individuals were identified as highly engaged. Among the highly engaged participants, 78% were female, with an average age of 60 and a BMI of 25.6.
Before the intervention, participants with a more extended eating window saw even more health benefits.
Health benefits
Kate Bermingham, PhD, from King’s College London and ZOE, said: “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.”
The findings show that people do not always need to eat to feel energised and experience health benefits. A lot of people will feel satisfied and may lose weight if they restrict themselves to a 10-hour eating window.
