Eating at the Right Hours Can Improve Muscle Endurance and Cognitive Function

Aligning food intake with the body’s natural biorhythms can improve muscle endurance and cognitive function, offering a promising lifestyle change to combat fatigue.

Research from the Center for Circadian Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease at Southwest Hospital in China examines the increasing problem of fatigue in modern industrialized societies. Scientists have uncovered how molecular processes influence diurnal variation in muscle endurance and found promising circadian nutritional strategies that help reduce muscle and cognitive impairment in mice.

One method, time-restricted feeding (TRF), has shown good results in combating fatigue, improving both brain and muscle function. These findings suggest that circadian nutrition may be an effective and convenient way to combat fatigue and improve overall health. Time-restricted eating involves eating during limited hours, creating an intermittent cycle of feeding and fasting.

New evidence shows that time-restricted feeding combined with nocturnal or active fasting (NRF) synchronizes this cycle with the circadian clock, preventing diet-induced metabolic disease in mice. NRF improves muscle endurance in diet-fed obese animals throughout life, regardless of sex. This is due to improved metabolic flexibility. Eating synchronized with the phases of day and night increases muscle endurance in lean mice throughout the day.

The 16:8 intermittent fasting method involves restricting food intake for 8 hours a day, followed by a 16-hour fasting period. This approach utilizes the body’s natural metabolic processes to promote fat burning during fasting and improve insulin sensitivity and overall metabolic health.