We all know that what you eat can affect your overall health—but new research suggests that when you eat might have an impact, too.
The study, which was presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting, found that limiting food intake to a specific schedule might help keep your mind sharp as you age. The researchers enrolled 47 postmenopausal women classified as overweight or obese, and split them into two groups. The first group was asked to eat all food within a 12-hour window, which was meant to represent a typical eating pattern. The second group was asked to eat within a nine-hour window; participants in this group usually ate between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., or within 8.2 hours. Both groups were asked to cut their daily calorie intake by 500 calories.
Participants also participated in a series of tests to measure their baseline intelligence, memory, learning, and reaction times, both at the start of the trial and after six months. By the end of the study, women in both groups lost an average of 15 pounds. But those who ate their food within the eight- to nine-hour window performed significantly better on tests designed to measure their problem-solving and spatial planning (the ability to visualize steps and outcomes before taking action).
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