Intermittent fasting and meal timings play an important role in curbing obesity, controlling blood sugar, and boosting metabolism, according to experts who attend ObesityWeek 2019, which was held last month at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada.
ObesityWeek is the world’s largest obesity-centric conference organized by The Obesity Society (TOS) and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
The last month’s ObesityWeek conference was so packed that most people had to sit on almost every bit of vacant floor space because they were eager to hear what Dr. Courtney Peterson and Dr. Frank Scheer have to say about the most debatable topic in the world.
The experts talked about the importance of intermittent fasting and circadian rhythms or food timings to improve your metabolic health.
Intermittent fasting has been one of most talked subjects and there have been some tempting data suggesting that it could be of great importance when it comes to losing weight. Yet, the definitions of intermittent fasting are pretty loose.
They reviewed several studies that found better weight outcomes for people who followed intermittent fasting when compared with people who were on continuous calorie restriction. Of course, it is tempting but there is a lot to learn, said the experts.
Dr. Scheer talked about the importance of circadian rhythms and food timings. He said, “Food timing does matter, especially when circadian rhythms become misaligned with food. It can raise the risk of insulin resistance. It can have an effect on diet-induced thermogenesis. In other words, it can affect weight and health by changing how your body uses energy.”
The experts reviewed one study published in Diabetes Care, which found that patients with type 2 diabetes who followed circadian rhythms by eating three meals a day had lost weight and had much-improved blood sugar levels than those who ate six meals at regular intervals a day. This suggested that meal timing could make a huge difference in metabolic function and weight.
The bottom line is meal-timing matters and intermittent fasting could be one of the smart strategies. However, the experts cautioned us to stay away from people who sell dietary miracles based on this science.
