For some time, scientists have entertained the idea that keeping weight in check might have less to do with what's on your plate and more to do with when you're eating it.
Now, new research from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health suggests that extending the overnight fast and having breakfast on the earlier side could help people maintain a healthier body mass index over time.
The study, published in the International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity just days ago, found that people who adopted these patterns were more likely to have a lower BMI years down the line.
The findings come from tracking more than 7,000 adults aged between 40 and 65, all part of the GCAT | Genomes for Life cohort run by the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
Extending an overnight fast could help people maintain a healthier weight over time
|GETTY
Back in 2018, participants filled out questionnaires covering everything from their height and weight to when they ate their meals, their lifestyle habits, and their socioeconomic circumstances.
Five years on, in 2023, over 3,000 of them came back for follow-up checks.
Researchers took new measurements and gathered fresh survey responses, giving them a proper window into how eating patterns and weight had shifted over time.
Scientists reckon the benefits come down to working with the body's internal clock rather than against it.
"We think this may be because eating earlier in the day is more in line with circadian rhythms and allows for better calorie burning and appetite regulation, which can help maintain a healthy weight," explained Luciana Pons-Muzzo, who worked on the study at ISGlobal.
Interestingly, the findings suggested that skipping breakfast for intermittent fasting didn't help with weight at all.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
A small group of men who typically ate their first meal after 2 pm showed no weight benefits.
These individuals were also more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, and be less physically active.
This research sits within a growing field called chrononutrition, which looks at not just what we eat but when and how often we're eating.
'Unusual food intake patterns can conflict with the circadian system'
|GETTY
"At the basis of this research is the knowledge that unusual food intake patterns can conflict with the circadian system, the set of internal clocks that regulate the cycles of night and day and the physiological processes that must accompany them," said Anna Palomar-Cros, who was part of the research team.
It's not the first time ISGlobal has found meal timing matters; earlier studies from the institute have linked eating dinner and breakfast earlier to lower risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter