Eight-hour eating windows linked to longer-lasting weight loss
A University of Granada study found adults with overweight or obesity kept more weight off one year after a 12-week intermittent fasting program.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Adults who limited eating to eight hours a day kept off more weight a year after a 12-week program than those who ate over longer periods, according to researchers at the University of Granada. The findings add evidence that time-restricted eating may help some people maintain weight loss beyond the end of a structured diet intervention.
The study, published in Clinical Nutrition, followed 99 adults with overweight or obesity. The University of Granada said half of the participants were women, and all received instruction on a Mediterranean diet before being assigned to different eating schedules.
How the study worked
Researchers examined the 16:8 form of intermittent fasting, in which people fast for 16 hours and eat during an eight-hour window. One group kept its regular schedule, eating across 12 hours or more each day.
Other participants followed one of three time-restricted plans. An early group ate during an eight-hour period starting before 10 a.m.; a late group used an eight-hour period beginning after 1 p.m.; and a self-selected group chose its own eight-hour window, according to the University of Granada.
The research team measured body weight, fat mass and fat-free mass before and after the 12-week intervention. The same measures were taken again 12 months after the program ended.
Benefits remained after one year
At the one-year follow-up, the early and late time-restricted eating groups had maintained more weight loss than the control group, according to the researchers. The University of Granada said participants on the early schedule also kept a greater reduction in fat mass.
The results did not show that only one timing strategy worked. Researchers said both early and late eating windows were linked to sustained weight-loss benefits, suggesting that people may be able to choose a schedule that fits their daily routine.
The work was a follow-up to a broader project whose main results were published in Nature Medicine. In that earlier analysis, participants using time-restricted eating lost an average of 3 to 4 kilograms more than those who received nutritional guidance alone, regardless of the timing of the eating window, according to the University of Granada.
Researchers point to practicality
Dr. Alba Camacho Cardeñosa, first author of the study and a researcher at the University Joint Institute for Sport and Health at the University of Granada, said the follow-up addressed whether short-term weight loss from intermittent fasting lasts. She said the 12-month data showed that changes in body weight persisted after the intervention ended.
The research team also said one in three participants continued intermittent fasting on their own during the follow-up year. The University of Granada said that pattern suggests the approach may be relatively easy for some people to incorporate into everyday life.
The study involved researchers from the University of Granada, the Granada Institute for Biomedical Research, the Public University of Navarra and the Biomedical Research Networking Center. Collaborators also included San Cecilio University Clinical Hospital, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital in Granada, CIBEROBN and CIBERFES.
The authors said a 12-week intermittent fasting program could serve as a medium-term weight management option for adults with overweight or obesity. They also said the flexibility of early or late eating windows may help make the approach more usable in obesity treatment.
This story draws on original reporting from ScienceDaily.