The Timing of Eating Limits Obesity

Two recent studies conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have found that stress at the wrong time of day can have a negative impact on a person's metabolism, creating the potential for increased fat accumulation. The senior author of the study, Mary Teruel, Ph.D., who is also an associate professor of biochemistry and member of the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute of Child Health, highlights the importance of understanding these factors to alleviate their negative impact.

Circadian rhythm is a fundamental concept in this regard, which refers to the body's 24-hour clock that regulates the sleep/wake cycle in response to physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a daily cycle. If people follow their body clock, they are less likely to gain weight, as this clock synchronizes with the rising and setting of the sun. Other factors, such as eating plans, can also influence circadian rhythm. Our bodies have evolved over millions of years to develop a daily rhythm to function optimally amidst regular environmental changes.

A new study by Science provides a confirmatory perspective for this assertion. The study had three groups of nocturnal mice; one ate only at night when they were active, the second during the day, and the third ate whenever they wanted. Interestingly, despite consuming the same high-fat, high-calorie diet, the first group gained significantly less weight than the latter two groups after seven days of the experiment.

The mice that were fed at night in the Science study did not gain significant weight because of their behavior in keeping their biological clock regular and metabolically healthy. Fat cells were able to burn and produce heat, protecting them from obesity even when consuming high-fat, high-calorie diets. Biological activities such as metabolism are closely linked to our circadian rhythms, with meal timing playing an important role in optimizing weight loss, and endurance, and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and other health conditions.

Time-restricted eating is one method of aligning meal times with circadian rhythms. This approach limits eating to a designated period each day, such as consuming all daily food within an 8-hour period, followed by a 16-hour fasting period. Time-restricted eating can help reduce overall calorie consumption, resulting in positive weight loss outcomes.

References

1. Science, "Time-restricted feeding mitigates obesity through adipocyte thermogenesis".