Eating only during the day can reduce risk of diabetes: study

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

Eating only during daytime hours reduces risk of diabetes, according to new research.

Limiting meal times to an eight-hour window improves sensitivity to insulin - the hormone that takes sugar out of the bloodstream.

The trendy diet fad boosts metabolism of glucose in muscles and other tissues.

Proponents include Gisele Bundchen, Jennifer Aniston, Kourtney Kardashian and Scarlett Johansson. They go without food between certain hours - or on specific days.

Corresponding author Professor Krista Varady said: "Obesity is a major health issue.

"Many traditional weight loss diets involve counting calories, which can be cumbersome and difficult to do well.

"Time-restricted eating, without calorie counting, has become a popular weight loss strategy because it is simple to do. Whether it’s effective in producing weight loss, especially beyond the short term, is unclear."

Modern 24/7 lifestyles have led to endless food availability and disrupted day-night rhythms resulting from poor sleep and exposure to artificial light.

People often spread meals over a 14-hour period - with an absence of true night-time fasting.

The factors contribute to the metabolic disorder. It typically develops in middle age - with unhealthy lifestyles playing a major role.

Time-restricted eating (TRE) has become a fashionable dieting plan - with some increasing daily fasting spells for up to 16 hours.

The University of Illinois Chicago team studied 90 obese adults from the city. They were randomly assigned to eat from noon to 8 p.m. only, reducing calorie intake by a quarter or eating as usual over ten hours or more throughout the day. The first two groups also met regularly with a dietician.

Participants who engaged in time-restricted eating ate 425 fewer calories per day than the control group - and lost about 10 more pounds after a year.

The calorie-restricted group ate 405 fewer calories per day and lost about 12 more pounds. They all showed high adherence to both interventions.

Nutritionists at Colorado University who were not involved in the study School said access to dieticians likely helped volunteers stick to restricted eating.

They said: "Results can help guide clinical decision-making partially by taking individual preferences into consideration, rather than just choosing a diet that may be more effective.

"They highlight substantial individual variability in weight loss using these interventions. Further research is needed to determine who would most benefit from each of these interventions."

The World Health Organisation estimates diabetes claims more than 1.5 million lives per year.

Previous research has suggested that time-restricted eating improves the health of people living with Type 2 diabetes - the form linked to obesity.

Last week scientists warned the number of diabetes cases worldwide will more than double to 1.3 billion by 2050 because of expanding girths.

The new study was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.