Researchers are increasingly investigating the idea that it is not only important what we eat, but also when we eat.
Previous research has shown, according to The Guardian, that a longer overnight fasting period may benefit factors such as body weight, blood pressure, and metabolism. As a result, interest in intermittent fasting has grown.
At the same time, experts believe that healthy lifestyle habits may help reduce the risk of dementia.
Being overweight during midlife is one of the factors that can increase the risk later in life.
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Lost seven kilograms
A U.S. pilot study, presented at Nutrition 2026, the annual conference organized by the American Society for Nutrition in Maryland, followed 47 women aged 50 to 79 who were overweight or living with obesity over a six-month period.
All participants consumed fewer calories, but some also restricted their meals to a nine-hour eating window.
Both groups lost an average of around seven kilograms. However, the researchers emphasize that the study is small and that the findings need to be confirmed in larger studies.
Problem-solving and planning
The researchers will now investigate why meal timing may play a role.
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Among other things, they are examining the relationship between circadian rhythms, metabolism, and inflammation.
Women who ate within a nine-hour eating window and avoided eating during the last four hours before bedtime performed better on tests of planning and problem-solving than the other participants.
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