Whether it is during the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims, or the 40-day Lent period leading up to Easter for Christians, or Hindu festivals such as Navratri during which a lot of people follow traditional eating practices, fasting is an integral part of many communities and religions globally.
And as science has advanced, these traditional practices (and their modern equivalents) have been found to be helpful in attaining a healthy body. But how and why fasting could deliver these health benefits has been hard to explain.
Now, researchers from the Salk Institute of Biological Sciences in San Diego, California have conducted a study to observe the benefits and differential gene expressions in response to Time Restricted Feeding (TRF), a form of intermittent fasting, and Ad-Libitum Feeding (ALF).
The study conducted by Satchidananda Panda, a professor at the Regulatory Biology Laboratory at Salk Institute, showed that TRF had a profound effect on gene functioning at a cellular level.
Time Restricted Feeding
TRF can be explained as consuming food within a consistent time window of 8-10 hours each day. Experts believe that by following this practice over a long time, one can gain a plethora of health benefits.
“If done properly, it gives the body time to recover, rest and detoxify,” Gayatri Chatrath Khosla, a nutritionist based out of Delhi, tells Happiest Health. “It helps [in] clearing metabolic waste and restoring digestive health.”
Now, new research suggests that it can alter the working of cells at the gene level, which was showcased in the mice model studies conducted by the researchers at Salk Institute. It showed that following a TRF diet pattern resulted in altered gene functioning in tissue samples taken from 22 organs and certain brain regions every two hours over a 24-hour study period.
Professor Panda says that it is not only about what we eat, but when we eat also that affects the overall well-being of an individual. And if the benefits of this TRF diet plan hold true in humans, it could be a potent method for management of overeating disorders, obesity and diabetes.
The researchers said they observed that 80 per cent of genes had a particular rhythmic expression or functioning when the mice were subjected to a TRF diet. It was further observed that the levels of anti-inflammatory reactions within the tissues decreased, along with reduced caloric storage inside the body.
TRF in regulating autophagy
Dr Yoshinori Onsuni, a cell biologist at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, who received the Nobel Prize in 2016, discovered the physiological process called autophagy through which the body degrades (breaks down) and recycles damaged cells, proteins, and toxins.
Increased protein formation and autophagy was also observed in the clinical trials done by Salk Institute researchers, suggesting that following a regular rhythmic diet pattern could help the body detox on its own much more efficiently. The overall food metabolism and digestion was seen to improve in the mice models when a TRF diet plan was followed.
While further human studies are required to study the impact of TRF on different populations, the current study paves the path for applying TRF as an efficient tool for the management of various lifestyle disorders with or without pharmaceutical drug interventions.
Key takeaways of TRF
Dr Khosla suggests that eating the right food at the right time and doing the right amount of activity can have several health benefits. Given below are some pointers that anyone opting for TRF can follow:
- Eat according to your peak hunger time and in the early part of the day rather than later.
- Eat healthy by avoiding sugars and refined grains. Instead, eat fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, healthy grains, proteins, and healthy fats (a Mediterranean diet).
- Be active throughout the day and build muscle tone through yoga and weights, and perform some form of aerobic physical activity.
