A new study, published in the Journal of Cell Metabolism, suggests that it may not matter what you eat but rather when you eat.  This study, conducted by Satchidananda Panda and his team, state that, “we have come up with something that is a simple alternative to calorie counting”.  Panda and his team placed mice into three groups and placed them on an eating regiment for 100 days.  The first group ate normal food and could eat whenever they wanted and the second group ate high-fat, high calorie food and could eat whenever they wanted.  The third group was fed the same high-fat, high calorie meal as the second group, but could only eat it for an 8 hour period before having to go on a 16 hour fast. 

After 100 days, the study found the mice that could only eat for 8 hours were almost as lean as the mice that ate regular food.  The same mice who consumed the high-fat chow around the clock became obese even though they consumed the same amount of fat and calories as the other group 8 hours a day group.  The mice that could eat high-fat, high-calorie food around the clock developed high cholesterol, high blood sugar, fatty liver disease, and metabolic problems.  Surprisingly, the mice that only ate for 8 hours showed hardly any signs of liver disease and the cholesterol and blood sugar level were virtually identical to the mice eating regular food.  When placed on the exercise wheel, this group showed the most endurance and motor control of all the animals in the study. 

The data suggest that the brain, stomach, and digestive machinery needed a break converting food to energy or our bodies reach a state of metabolic exhaustion.  The evidence suggests that the mice who fasted for 16 hours a day allowed their bodies ample time to break down food and convert the excessive amounts of calories to heat.  Panda says, “As they burned fat, their body temperatures were actually higher”. 

There is little research on the subject and many more studies must be done before we can draw any conclusions on the subject; however, this study is very encouraging.  Panda acknowledge that this research needs to be refined for humans before it can effectively fight obesity and he notes that the 16 hour fast that was so effective with mice may not be the magic number for people.  With the potential to eat whatever you like with little to no side effects, is it worth it for you to try modifying your meal times?