JAKARTA - Recent studies reveal that limiting daily meal times can be the key to effectively losing and maintaining weight. This pattern, known as time-restricted eating or eating within a certain time window, is considered simpler than conventional diet methods such as calorie counting.
Research presented at the European Congress on Obesity shows overweight individuals who limit their eating time to eight hours per day are able to lose weight significantly. In fact, the results still persist up to one year after the intervention is carried out.
The lead author of the study from the University of Granada, Dr Alba Camacho-Cardenosa explained the key to the success of this method lies in the duration of fasting, not the time of eating itself.
"Our study found that limiting the eating window to eight hours at any time of the day for three months can result in significant weight loss for at least one year," he said, quoted from the Independent.co.uk page.
"These benefits are more related to the 16-hour fasting period than to when a person eats," he continued.
In the study, 99 participants were divided into several groups with different eating patterns. Some ate for more than 12 hours, while others limited eating in an eight-hour window, either starting in the morning or afternoon. All participants were also provided with healthy Mediterranean diet guidelines.
The results are quite striking. The group who ate more than 12 hours only lost an average of 1.4 kilograms. Meanwhile, the group with meal time restrictions managed to lose weight by about 3 to 4 kilograms, accompanied by a greater reduction in waist and hip circumference.
The research coordinator, Dr. Jonatan Ruiz, assessed that this approach has great potential as a practical diet method.
"Intermittent fasting like this seems to be worth implementing for overweight adults. It offers a simpler, less tiring, and more time-efficient way than counting calories every day," he explained.
However, experts warn that further research is still needed to ensure long-term effectiveness and its impact on metabolic health.
Researcher from the University of Cambridge, Dr Maria Chondronikola, emphasized the importance of understanding other factors in this diet.
"We need to know how consistent participants are in following the meal schedule, the number of calories consumed, and how this pattern affects obesity-related metabolism," he said.
This finding provides new hope for those who want to lose weight without complicated diet methods. By simply regulating meal times, a person may be able to get significant results as long as it is done consistently.
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