‘To skip or not to skip?’ It is an ever lasting question, with ever changing answers.
The latest research – conducted at Monash University – has found skipping breakfast may be the answer to Australia’s obesity epidemic.
It seems watching the clock, as opposed to counting the calories, can assist in shedding weight and slimming the waist. The key is to fast between 8pm and noon the next day; skipping breakfast but eating ‘normally’ for the rest of the day.
The study examined thirty-two patients who suffered from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease – a condition that affects more than 5.5 million Australians. Those participants that did not eat anything between dinner and lunch the following day lost weight and reduced their waist circumference over a 12 week period.
Those who fasted also showed improvements in liver function, insulin resistance, visceral fat levels (the “dangerous” fat that sits around the organs) and blood pressure.
“Experimental studies have shown that restricting access to food, without calorie restriction, prevented animals developing conditions such as fatty liver disease,” says Melbourne gastroenterologist Alex Hodge, who was involved in the research.
“Despite the small numbers of participants in this novel study, there was a significant health benefits from intermittent fasting. When the standard care group was changed to intermittent fasting for an additional 12 weeks, they continued to show improvements.”
Certainly, the findings are promising but (as with everything in weight loss!) breakfast or no breakfast – it’s up to you, your body and your lifestyle!
