Time-restricted eating could help you live longer, study suggests

Recently, there have been several studies touting intermittent fasting as a way to lose weight and lower blood pressure. Now there’s a new benefit: living longer.

According to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, restricting your eating time to six hours a day can reduce blood pressure, help you lose weight and improve longevity.

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Study author Mark Mattson, a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, chose to focus on two types of intermittent fasting: Daily time-restricted feeding (eating 6-8 hours a day and fasting for 16-18 hours) and 5:2 intermittent fasting (fasting two days a week, usually capping a fasting day at 500 calories), according to CNN.

The study is designed to help physicians prescribe the time-restricted eating method as a way to curb illnesses like obesity, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. The problem is that the long-term effects of the diet are still unknown. It can also be difficult for the average American to stick with when you’re used to eating three times a day at least.

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According to Mattson, alternating between fasting and eating can improve cellular health. This likely happens as a result of triggering metabolic switching where cells use up their fuel stores and convert fat to energy.