Fasting ⇒ Daily fasts:Best time of day

[NewLifeScience]

I am guessing that supper or later is the best time to fast - mostly as I imagine our metabolism is busiest in the evening.

Is there data on this?

[Newage]

I am guessing that supper or later is the best time to fast - mostly as I imagine our metabolism is busiest in the evening.

Is there data on this?

Not sure about data but I intermittent fast from 5pm until 9am (16 hours) daily and the body feels great on rising. Best described as
“clean and light”
I used to fast from 7pm until 11am but found the results no where as good as the earlier 5pm start
The 2 hours seems to make a big difference to the way the body deals with the last food intake before retiring to bed about 5 hours later.

[OzSport]

I don't do strict fasting, but I do find that if I eat supper late (say around 8:30 p.m.), then my digestion is sluggish the next day. If I eat supper early (say around 5:30 p.m.) and ensure I eat no other snacks after that, my digestion is really good the next day and I fell much more alert and less tired.

I think it depends on the person and their schedule perhaps...check out these two articles with differing opinions:

He skips breakfast as part of his fast:
https://jamesclear.com/the-beginners-gu ... nt-fasting

This article says skipping breakfast is not good:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyl ... story.html

[canadahealthy]

I am guessing that supper or later is the best time to fast - mostly as I imagine our metabolism is busiest in the evening.

Is there data on this?

Not sure about data but I intermittent fast from 5pm until 9am (16 hours) daily and the body feels great on rising. Best described as
“clean and light”
I used to fast from 7pm until 11am but found the results no where as good as the earlier 5pm start
The 2 hours seems to make a big difference to the way the body deals with the last food intake before retiring to bed about 5 hours later.

That is interesting and sounds a lot more doable, and possibly healthier for me in the long run. Thanks for sharing.

[NewLifeScience]

I don't do strict fasting, but I do find that if I eat supper late (say around 8:30 p.m.), then my digestion is sluggish the next day. If I eat supper early (say around 5:30 p.m.) and ensure I eat no other snacks after that, my digestion is really good the next day and I fell much more alert and less tired.

I think it depends on the person and their schedule perhaps...check out these two articles with differing opinions:

He skips breakfast as part of his fast:
https://jamesclear.com/the-beginners-gu ... nt-fasting

This article says skipping breakfast is not good:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyl ... story.html

Yes I can see how it can be a personal thing...

Interesting article in favour of having breakfast, disappointing they did not source their claims.

[AlbertY]

I am guessing that supper or later is the best time to fast - mostly as I imagine our metabolism is busiest in the evening.

Is there data on this?

Yes

Similarly, metabolic markers were improved in a group of people eating an isocaloric diet with a bigger breakfast and a smaller dinner (52, 53), and type 2 diabetic patients under hypocaloric diet obtained better metabolic outcome by eating most of their daily allotment in the first half of the day rather than divided into six meals throughout the day (54). On the contrary, restricting food intake to the late afternoon or evening either produced mostly null results or worsened glucose levels after eating, b cell responsiveness, blood pressure, and lipid levels (45, 48, 49).

reference: Di Francesco, Andrea, et al. "A time to fast." Science 362.6416 (2018): 770-775.
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/362/6416/770

[Drdavid]

I am guessing that supper or later is the best time to fast - mostly as I imagine our metabolism is busiest in the evening.

Is there data on this?

Yes

Similarly, metabolic markers were improved in a group of people eating an isocaloric diet with a bigger breakfast and a smaller dinner (52, 53), and type 2 diabetic patients under hypocaloric diet obtained better metabolic outcome by eating most of their daily allotment in the first half of the day rather than divided into six meals throughout the day (54). On the contrary, restricting food intake to the late afternoon or evening either produced mostly null results or worsened glucose levels after eating, b cell responsiveness, blood pressure, and lipid levels (45, 48, 49).

reference: Di Francesco, Andrea, et al. "A time to fast." Science 362.6416 (2018): 770-775.
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/362/6416/770

Thank you Albert for providing this research. This research is polar opposite to what some of the big names in fasting are preaching. I just attended a seminar where it was taught that fasting from 5pm to 10am provided the best results for weight loss and reducing insulin sensitivity.

[drkris69]

Thank you for that information Dr David. Its good to hear confirmation on that 5p to 10a is the best time to fast. Have a great day sir.

[Newage]

Thank you for that information Dr David. Its good to hear confirmation on that 5p to 10a is the best time to fast. Have a great day sir.

Thank you for the information Drdavid.
It’s sounds like my personal 5pm to 9am intermittent overnight fast is “on the money”
Maybe I will add another hour until 10am which regularly happens anyway by the time I organise the day.

[drkris69]

Same here, 5p to 10a feels very natural as well.