New research published in the Journal of The American Heart Association unravels some mysteries surrounding intermittent fasting. The main conclusion is that there is no relationship between the times of snack and weight loss in study participants. They even observed that the frequency and amount of food had a greater impact on weight gain than the interval between meals.
Intermittent fasting: myth or truth?
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The study carried out by John Hopkins University, in the United States, analyzed more than 500 adults. The objective was to find out if there was even a relationship between the time of the last meal and the weight gain of the participants. Doctor Wendy Bennett, professor who conducted the study, says that despite the popularity of intermittent fasting, there is still no study that proves its effectiveness in practice.
Analysis design
The study was conducted over six years with 550 adults, always evaluating the correlation between weight gain and time between meals. Participants came from three health centers in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The volunteers' weight was measured at least once before the enrollment periods, in addition to their height, approximately two years before the beginning of the study.
About the volunteers, 80% of the participants were white adults, 12% black adults and 3% Asian adults.
Most participants had higher education and the average age of all was 51 years. The mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was 30.8, considered grade 1 obesity. The follow-up time of the participants was 6.3 years. The researchers created a application which marked the time to sleep, wake up and eat which guided the participants daily.
Study results
The scientists found that the time between meals was not associated with weight change over the six-year follow-up period. They also observed that the number of calories in meals was associated with weight gain, whereas small meals (less than 500 calories) were linked with fat loss.
Finally, the study did not detect a correlation between meal times and weight change in a population with a broad spectrum of body weights.