Loose Women: Dr Hilary discusses how to live longer
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Longevity research tends to focus on the most propitious food groups. For example, growing evidence suggests a plant-based diet can help stave off a host of chronic diseases. However, less attention is devoted to the timing of eating, which also seems to have a bearing on lifespan.
That’s the conclusion of a study published in the journal Nutrients.
Researchers sought to examine the impact time-restricted feeding (TRF) has on longevity markers.
TRF is a form of intermittent fasting that involves having a longer daily fasting period.
“Preliminary studies report that TRF improves cardiometabolic health in rodents and humans,” the researchers in the study noted.
Cardiometabolic health refers to a spectrum of conditions and risk factors that are largely preventable, such as high blood pressure and insulin resistance.
The researchers performed the study to determine how TRF affects gene expression, circulating hormones, and diurnal patterns in cardiometabolic risk factors in humans.
Derived from the Latin diurnus, meaning “of the day” or “daily,” diurnal patterns refers to being active during, occurring in or pertaining to the daytime or repeating once every 24 hours.
Eleven overweight adults participated in a four-day randomised crossover study where they ate between 8am and 2pm (early TRF/eTRF) and between 8am and 8pm (control schedule).
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Participants underwent continuous glucose (blood sugar) monitoring, and blood was drawn to assess cardiometabolic risk factors, hormones, and gene expression in whole blood cells.
What did the researchers find out?
Relative to the control schedule, eTRF decreased mean 24-hour glucose levels and glycaemic (presence of glucose in the blood) fluctuations.
This is significant because unstable glucose (blood sugar) is a precursor and feature of type 2 diabetes.
In the morning before breakfast, eTRF regulated the expression of the stress response and the ageing gene SIRT1.
While in the evening, it tended to increase the expression of MTOR – a major nutrient-sensing protein that regulates cell growth.
What’s more, eTRF also altered the diurnal patterns in cortisol – a steroid hormone that helps regulate your body’s response to stress – and the expression of several circadian clock genes.
The circadian clock genes help regulate circadian rhythms – 24-hour cycles that are part of the body’s internal clock, running in the background to carry out essential functions.
The researchers concluded that eTRF has a range of positive effects on the body, such as improving 24-hour glucose levels and circadian clock gene expression.
They also noted eTRF may also have “anti-aging effects” in humans.
What to eat
Eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health, and can help you feel your best.
This means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions, and consuming the right amount of food and drink to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
The Eatwell Guide shows that to have a healthy, balanced diet, people should try to:
- Eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day
- Base meals on higher fibre starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice or pasta
- Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks)
- Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein
- Choose unsaturated oils and spreads, and eat them in small amounts
- Drink plenty of fluids (at least six to eight glasses a day).
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