Time-Restricted Eating Is Not More Beneficial , Than Counting Calories, Study Finds.
CNN reports that researchers at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, .
have determined that the form of
intermittent fasting does not provide more benefits
than calorie restriction when it comes to weight loss.
The study was published in the
'New England Journal of Medicine.'.
Our data suggest that caloric intake restriction explained most of the beneficial effects of a time-restricted eating regimen, Study researchers, via CNN.
Bottom line, the determinant of weight loss, as well as reductions in body fat, visceral fat, blood pressure, and glucose and lipid levels, is dependent on reducing calorie intake, regardless of the distribution of food and beverages consumed throughout the day, Alice Lichtenstein, director and senior scientist at Tufts University's Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, via CNN.
The study observed 139 overweight to
very obese adults over the course of a year.
One group was instructed to
reduce their caloric intake.
Another group was told to eat the same amount of calories as the first group but between certain hours of the day.
Food diaries and photographs were used to track compliance with the study. .
By the year's end, participants in both groups
lost up to 18 pounds, but those on a time-restricted schedule
didn't lose any more weight than the other group.
Decisions on the approach used to restrict calorie intake should be determined by what works best for an individual within the context of their lifestyle. The most important factor is identifying an approach that is sustainable in the long term, Alice Lichtenstein, director and senior scientist at Tufts University's Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, via CNN