Intermittent fasting may improve mood, energy, hunger, large study confirms

Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Intermittent fasting is associated with higher energy and improved mood, a large study by researchers in Britain confirmed.

Investigators from King's College London presented the study results Tuesday at the European Nutrition Conference. They found that restricting food consumption to a 10-hour window and fasting for the remaining 14 hours had positive health benefits.

"This is the largest study outside of a tightly controlled clinic to show that intermittent fasting can improve your health in a real world setting," Sarah Berry of King's College London said in a news release.

"What's really exciting is that the findings show that you don't have to be very restrictive to see positive results. A 10-hour eating window, which is manageable for most people, and improved mood, energy levels and hunger."

The study included 37,545 people, including 27,371 who were classified as highly engaged. About 78% of highly engaged participants were women, with an average age of 60, average body mass index was 25.6 and a baseline eating window of 11.3 hours.

They participated using the ZOE Health app and were asked to eat as they normally do for the first week and then restrict their eating to a 10-hour window during the next two weeks. They logged their eating window, energy, mood and hunger daily.

Those who were consistent with their intermittent fasting routine showed the best results, while inconsistency in eating windows was associated with lower energy and mood and higher hunger. Results were better among those who had a longer eating window before beginning intermittent fasting.

Among highly engaged participants, 51% reported a small reduction in weight over two to 16 weeks.

"This study adds to the growing body of evidence showing the importance of how you eat," researcher Kate Bermingham, of King's College London, said in the news release.

"The health impact of food is not just what you eat but the time at which you choose to consume your meals, and eating window is an important dietary behavior that can be beneficial for health."

Previous research has found that intermittent fasting may be effective for weight loss.

A recent study by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago found that participants with Type 2 diabetes who ate only during an eight-hour window between noon and 8 p.m. lost more weight than those who limited calories.

Another study found that early time-restricted eating may help prevent Type 2 diabetes in people at high risk of the disease.