gut microbiome – Wellness: Asian Opportunities

Time-restricted eating, e.g., Eating from noon to 8 PM only
Calorie restriction, e.g., a 25% reduction

Given the widespread problem of obesity, there is considerable interest in both techniques as a means to lose weight. Recently, time-restricted eating has gained popularity because of its seeming simplicity.

A 12-month RCT study ⁽¹⁾ of weight loss methods found that both techniques resulted in an average 5% reduction in body weight. The authors noted that time-restricted eating is both effective and feasible across a diverse population. In another RCT study, ⁽²⁾ both groups ate a low-calorie diet whilst one group also undertook time-restricted eating. The study conclusion: “Among patients with obesity, a regimen of time-restricted eating was not more beneficial with regard to reduction in body weight, body fat, or metabolic risk factors than daily calorie restriction.”

The theory behind time-restricted eating is that after a period of hours without eating, the body switches from a ready supply of energy from food, to burning its fat resources. ⁽³⁾ This is a theory without research support currently. One study ⁽⁴⁾ found, following a 10-day fast, that, to quote the BBC article, ⁽³⁾“the weight loss by a group of male subjects, during the early stages of the fast was predominately a loss of water, protein and other lean tissue rather than fat loss.”

In addition, it is important during the time-restricted eating period to eat a balanced diet. If one goes from three meals to two meals, there is a risk of the diversity of food inputs declining.

In addition to a balanced diet, and when the body receives it, another factor to consider is the efficiency with which the body processes it. Please see our blog posts on the gut microbiome, e.g., “Diet, Gut Microbes, and Health”, of 30 June 2021

References:

Time-Restricted Eating Without Calorie Counting for Weight Loss in a Racially Diverse Population: A Randomized Controlled Trial, by Shuhao Lin et al, July 2023
Calorie Restriction with or without Time-Restricted Eating in Weight Loss, by Deying Liu et al, April, 2022
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/what-intermittent-fasting-diet
Is muscle and protein loss relevant in long-term fasting in healthy men? A prospective trial on physiological adaptations, by Claire Laurens et al, October 2021

Please follow the link, here, for an introduction to the most popular mushrooms in Japan.

Mushrooms are an integral ingredient in the Japanese diet. Japan’s humid climate has resulted in approximately 5,000 varieties of mushrooms. Of these, about 100 are edible, and around 20 are eaten in large, commercial quantities.

Japanese farmers have been introducing techniques to break the link with nature. Mushrooms are normally harvested from nature in the autumn. 300 years ago, farmers introduced small logs with pre-prepared fungus spores. Today’s factory-controlled environments have enabled, with the one exception of matsutake mushrooms, fresh, cheap mushrooms available throughout the year.

The body’s gut microbiome is healthier with a diverse diet, and in Japan people consume a diverse range of vegetables, including a variety of mushrooms. In addition, different types of mushrooms have different potential health effects. For a discussion of the latter, with references, please follow the link in the first paragraph above.