Could Different Mealtimes Make You Healthier?

A touch of patience could positively impact cholesterol and blood sugar levels

- Dr Michael Mosley

Six years ago, during the London Olympics, a documentary I’d made – Eat, Fast, Live Longer – went out on BBC Two. It was up against the 200m finals, featuring Usain Bolt, so I wasn’t optimistic that it would be a ratings success. It actually did better than I was expecting, and in time unleashed huge interest in intermittent fasting, or IF. The idea behind IF is that you can lose weight and get other health benefits by intermittently cutting your calories.

At the time, I was investigating the benefits of cutting calories a couple of days a week, as part of the 5:2 diet (eating normally five days of the week, and only allowing restricted eating on the other two). But there are other forms of IF, including time-restricted feeding (TRF). TRF normally involves eating within an eight-hour window and fasting for 16 hours a day. But what is the evidence that this is healthier than normal patterns of eating?