Time Restricted Eating - What, Why, and How
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- Published on Thursday, July 19, 2018
Photo property of Metro Creative Connection
By DR. Mark Perrett
BSCs DC Chiropractor
What is it?
Time restricted eating is one of the hottest topics in nutritional research with studies showing it is a great weight loss program, and it has positive effects for your body and brain.
Time restricted eating (TRE) is not a diet plan but a change in your pattern of eating. It is a pattern that cycles between eating and fasting, so you are not changing what you eat but when you eat. From an evolutionary perspective, our bodies are designed to fast. Only a short time ago we couldn’t open our fridge and have food readily available 24/7. Our bodies are designed to be able to not eat for extended periods of time and we are actually healthier if we do it. In this article I will be discussing the benefits of a simple TRE plan in which you include a fast in your day.
Why do it?
1. Decreases Some Cancer Re-occurrences
Dr. Ruth Patterson, a professor and cancer researcher at UCSD, and other researchers have found up to a 36 percent less chance of breast cancer re-occurrence when restricting your eating for a 13 hour window. One of the main reasons for this is that our insulin levels drop when fasting and insulin is linked to breast cancer. We are less insulin sensitive at night and therefore do not handle sugars well. By simply not eating after supper till the next morning, you can decrease your risk of breast cancer by a third! TRE also has an effect on all cancers because time restricted eating also has a positive effect for loosing weight and obesity is directly linked to increased cancer risk.
2. You Lose Weight
Our body has a natural clock that is governed by UV light called our circadian rhythm. This clock is driven by melatonin secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. It is well know our wake and sleep times are governed by this however, recent research has found that there is also melatonin receptors in the digestive tract with a large collection of them in the pancreas. Our digestive tract is in sync with our brain clock and at night our gut naturally wants to take a break from digestion so that the body can use the nutrients ingested for repair of the body. Melatonin lessens the effect of insulin and we don’t handle our sugars as well. When we eat at night we tend to handle our sugars poorly and they are more easily stored as fat. We are also less active when sleeping and the brain and body aren’t demanding sugars to burn. Research shows that you can loose body fat, without changing the number of calories you ingest simply by not eating between supper and breakfast. Dr. Valter Longo and his team of researchers have found you can loose up to 5% body mass by simply fasting for 12 hours and not changing the total number of calories you ingest.
Another reason we lose weight while practicing TRE is that when we are in a fasting state our body burns fat not sugars. This is because our insulin has already dealt with the sugars in the feeding phase and in the fasting phase the body is in a mild form of ketosis and burns fat.
Another great reason to fast between supper and breakfast is the foods we typically eat after supper are high in sugars and bad fats including most snacks like chips, crackers, and alcohol. This is another one of the reasons why you can lose weight without changing what you eat but when you eat.
3. It May Extend Your Life Span
Caloric restriction has been shown to increase lifespan and in the fasting phase of TRE you are placed in the same state. Simply put, when we are in a state of fasting, our body looks for a way to survive. There is a lot of research in bacteria that shows intermittent fasting prolongs lifespan and research in rats has shown they live longer when on a calorie restricted diet. Research from Harvard University has shown that positive changes occur at the cellular level. These changes slow down the aging of the cell’s powerhouse called the mitochondria. As a result our cells work more efficiently and live longer. As mentioned earlier cancer risk and re-occurrence of some cancers decreases with TRE and this obviously improves lifespan.
4. You Sleep Better
The general accepted rule of proper sleep hygiene and eating is that one should not eat three hours before going to sleep. With time restricted eating our digestive system is following our natural circadian rhythm within our brain and we achieve a deeper and more productive sleep. Resist that snack before bed and you will be waking up more refreshed and energized!
In some cases people can sleep worse with TRE and will complain of a state of high energy before bed. This occurs when a person consumes a lot of sugars at supper and have a sugar crash before going to sleep. If you notice this effect, try consuming more complex carbohydrates (such as sweet potatoes) rather than high sugar items.
Next week I will be discussing how to implement a time restricted eating plan into your daily routine.
