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Intermittent Fasting: Are the Potential Health Benefits Worth the Wait?

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 16395

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA
Interests: obesity; metabolic disease; glycemic control; weight management; intermittent fasting; time restricted eating; meal timing; eating regularity; sleep; sleep countermeasures; chrononutrition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Intermittent fasting is an umbrella term for several distinct dietary regimens, which ultimately serve to prolong a daily fast. The popularity of these diets has grown over the past decade, primarily as a way to restrict energy intake. However, not all intermittent fasting regimens are intended for weight loss. While there are many examples in the literature demonstrating the effectiveness of intermittent fasting as a weight loss option by way of energy restriction, there are other potential effects on health, chronobiology, and quality of life that must also be considered. Time restricted eating, whereby the daily feeding window is reduced to a shortened period of time (<10 hrs), is an example of this. Seminal studies using isocaloric conditions suggest superior glycemic control during time restricted eating, with potential circadian underpinnings. Nevertheless, it remains questionable within the field whether or not these benefits can be achieved and maintained overtime without supervision.

Advances in our understanding of chronobiology and the growing interest in individualized care make the study of intermittent fasting that much more pertinent to advancing the nutrition field. In this Special Issue, we encourage authors to share findings and insights that help inform readers of the potential benefits and limitations of intermittent fasting approaches across diverse populations.  We welcome original research, case studies, narrative reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses.

Thank you,

Dr. Kristin Hoddy
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Intermittent fasting
  • Time restricted feeding
  • Time restricted eating
  • Ramadan
  • 5:2
  • Chrononutrition
  • Meal timing
  • Eating regularity
  • Metabolic health
  • Glycemic control
  • Quality of life
  • Sleep
  • Circadian rhythm
  • Physical activity
  • Body composition

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 982 KiB  
Article
A Smartphone Intervention to Promote Time Restricted Eating Reduces Body Weight and Blood Pressure in Adults with Overweight and Obesity: A Pilot Study
by Malini Prasad, Keenan Fine, Allen Gee, Nandini Nair, Collin J. Popp, Bin Cheng, Emily N. C. Manoogian, Satchidananda Panda and Blandine Laferrère
Nutrients 2021, 13(7), 2148; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13072148 - 23 Jun 2021
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 4814
Abstract
The goal of this study was to test the feasibility of time restricted eating (TRE) in adults with overweight and obesity. Participants (n = 50) logged all eating occasions (>0 kcal) for a 2-week run-in period using a smartphone application. Participants with [...] Read more.
The goal of this study was to test the feasibility of time restricted eating (TRE) in adults with overweight and obesity. Participants (n = 50) logged all eating occasions (>0 kcal) for a 2-week run-in period using a smartphone application. Participants with eating duration ≥14 h enrolled in an open label, non-randomized, prospective 90-day TRE intervention, with a self-selected reduced eating window of 10 h. No dietary counseling was provided. Changes in anthropometrics, eating patterns and adherence after TRE were analyzed using t-tests or Wilcoxon Rank-Sum Test. The mean duration of the baseline eating window was 14 h 32 m ± 2 h 36 m (n = 50) with 56% of participants with duration ≥14 h. TRE participants (n = 16) successfully decreased their eating window from 16 h 04 m ± 1 h 24 m to 11 h 54 m ± 2 h 06 m (p < 0.001), and reduced the number of daily eating occasions by half (p < 0.001). Adherence to logging and to the reduced eating window was 64% ± 22% and 47% ± 19%, respectively. TRE resulted in decreases in body weight (−2.1 ± 3.0 kg, p = 0.017), waist circumference (−2.2 ± 4.6 cm, p = 0.002) and systolic blood pressure (−12 ± 11 mmHg, p = 0.002). This study demonstrates the feasibility and efficacy of TRE administered via a smartphone, in adults with overweight and obesity. Full article
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Review

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12 pages, 281 KiB  
Review
Intermittent Fasting and Sleep: A Review of Human Trials
by Mara McStay, Kelsey Gabel, Sofia Cienfuegos, Mark Ezpeleta, Shuhao Lin and Krista A. Varady
Nutrients 2021, 13(10), 3489; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nu13103489 - 01 Oct 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 10766
Abstract
This review examines the effects of two popular intermittent fasting regimens on sleep in adults with overweight and obesity. Specifically, the effects of time restricted eating (TRE; eating all food within a 4–10 h window) and alternate day fasting (ADF; 600 kcal fast [...] Read more.
This review examines the effects of two popular intermittent fasting regimens on sleep in adults with overweight and obesity. Specifically, the effects of time restricted eating (TRE; eating all food within a 4–10 h window) and alternate day fasting (ADF; 600 kcal fast day alternated with ad libitum feast day) on sleep quality, sleep duration, sleep latency, sleep efficiency, insomnia severity, and risk of obstructive sleep apnea, will be summarized. The role of weight loss will also be discussed. Results from our review reveal that the majority of these trials produced weight loss in the range of 1–6% from baseline. Sleep quality and sleep duration remained unaltered with TRE and ADF, as assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The effects of intermittent fasting on sleep latency and sleep efficiency are mixed, with one study showing worsening of these parameters, and others showing no effect. Insomnia severity and the risk of obstructive sleep apnea remained unchanged in the trials assessing these metrics. Taken together, these preliminary findings suggest that TRE and ADF produce mild to moderate weight loss (1–6%) but their effects on sleep remain unclear. Solid conclusions are difficult to establish since participants in the studies had healthy sleep durations and no clinical insomnia at baseline, leaving little room for improvement in these metrics. Moreover, none of the trials were adequately powered to detect statistically significant changes in any measure of sleep. Future well-powered trials, conducted in individuals with diagnosed sleep disturbances, will be necessary to elucidate the effect of these popular diets on sleep. Full article
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