Conventional dietary wisdom says that weight gain is primarily caused by consuming more calories than your body burns on that given day. While that’s certainly true, it’s also caused by adhering to an unusual eating schedule, according to a recently published study involving mice. Now, scientist believe they have found evidence that an eating schedule to lose weight is a good part of a healthy diet plan.

During the study, the mice that received a high-fat diet and were allowed to eat around the clock gained weight, as expected.

However, a second group of mice that was fed the exact same diet but restricted to an eight-hour eating schedule did not gain as much weight, despite eating the same number of calories overall as the mice in the first group.

According to the researchers, the results of the study lend credence to the notion that it’s not just what types of food you consume, but also when you eat them as well that will ultimately determine whether you lose weight or gain weigh.

The Metabolic Cycles of the Body

According to Satchidananda Panda, one of the lead researchers behind the study conducted by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, all internal organs have a sort of metabolic clock. Panda says that the liver, muscles, intestines, stomach and other organs work very hard to do their jobs, but there’s certain times when they’re more or less at rest. In order to perform necessary bodily processes (such as digesting food and breaking down cholesterol), these internal organs burn calories for energy.

Ideally, many of these processes are turned on during and immediately after eating, and turned off when not eating, according to Panda. However, frequent eating, particularly at times when you’re not actively burning energy, can play havoc with the organs’ metabolic clocks.

28% Less Weight Gain

During the study, Panda and the other researchers tracked the two groups of mice over the course of 18 weeks. The mice in the time-restricted group maintained better overall health, higher metabolism levels and lower body weight than the mice in the eat-anytime group. Most notably, the time-restricted mice experienced less liver damage and gained almost 30% less weight than the mice allowed to eat around the clock.

Panda admits that additional research will be needed to determine whether the same effect occurs in people, just as with any study involving mice. However, mice are frequently used in studies because they’re genetically very similar to humans.

Panda believes that his study reinforces the notion that future dietary researchers would be wise to account for the timing of food consumption, not just the type and quantity of food consumed.

Frequent Daily Meals vs. Staying Up and Snacking

The researchers said that the ongoing obesity epidemic may be compounded by the ways in which eating patterns have changed over the years. Today, people have easier access to food at any time of the night or day (think 24/7 fast-food drive-throughs), and tend to stay up later at night – and when you’re not sleeping, you’re likely to be snacking, according to Panda.

However, the researchers’ sentiments should not indicate that it’s unwise to eat several smaller meals during the day instead of just three larger meals. In fact, many studies have indicated that eating five or six smaller meals during the day helps to minimize junk food cravings and stabilize blood sugar levels. The key is to avoid eating when you know you won’t be burning significant calories anytime soon.

Eating Schedule to Lose Weight: The Bottom Line

Researchers from La Jolla, California’s Salk Institute for Biological Studies have conducted a study in mice finding that the timing of meal consumption influences changes in body weight. Eating smaller meals throughout the day is fine and likely conducive to weight loss, while continual snacking later in the evening and night is likely conducive to weight gain.

The full text of the study is available online in the medical journal Cell Metabolism.