WHEN TO EAT

“Some mice were given access to food around the clock, while others only had access during the night (when mice normally come out to forage and feed). The results of the experiment were staggering. While the mice that ate around the clock became obese and unhealthy, the group that was only given access to food within an eight- to twelve-hour window ended up slim and healthy. Both groups of mice consumed the same number of calories (and the same mixture of unhealthy fats and sugars), but the mice in the nighttime-only feeding group weighed 28 percent less and had 70 percent less body fat after eighteen weeks. Independent of what they were eating, sticking to their natural nocturnal feeding time protected them against obesity and even gave their health a boost.

Now, humans are not mice, but signs are pointing in a similar direction for people who practice time-restricted eating. A number of small trials have shown that merely eating an earlier dinner can improve blood sugar and blood pressure, independent of weight lost. It may even help fight cancer. One study from Spain involving over four thousand people found eating an earlier dinner (before 9 p.m. or at least two hours before bed) reduced the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancers by 20 percent. A UCSD study yielded equally promising findings, this time for cancer recurrence. The study involved 2,400 women with early-stage breast cancer and found that a nightly fast of fewer than thirteen hours was associated with a 36 percent higher risk of recurrence, compared to thirteen or more hours of food abstention per night. There was also a trend toward increased mortality for late-night eaters.”

- Max Lugavere from The Genius Life