Visceral fat: The optimal time of the day to eat breakfast to ‘shed excess pounds’- expert

Dr Zoe Williams discusses visceral fat on This Morning

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Subcutaneous fat, which generally sits across the hips and thighs, is believed to be the most beneficial because it confers some protection against disease. But visceral fat, which lies out of reach, inside the body’s midsection, engulfs the vital organs. Previous studies have shown that both types of fat “undergo dramatic changes” during intermittent fasting. To lose the extra pounds, one expert suggests postponing breakfast until 11am each day.

Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, says waiting a few hours after waking up is better for shedding excess pounds.

According to the nutritionist, people who snack in the evening should delay their breakfast to allow enough time for their metabolism to pause between meals.

This, in turn, can help improve the rate at which food is burnt, preventing fat from getting stored inside the tissue.

According to professor Spector, there is growing evidence that fasting for at least 14 hours every day can help lose weight and improve metabolism.

Speaking at the Cheltenham Science Festival, he said: “There are still people, particularly in the north of England, who eat earlier, but generally we have moved towards continental eating habits, having dinner much later like people in Spain and Italy.

“Even those who don’t do that may end up snacking up until 9pm, making it difficult to achieve a 14-hour fasting period.

“There is a simple change people can make by shifting their breakfast from 8am to 11am, which actually is more effective than more fashionable fasting diets like 5:2.”

The experts’ comments chime with the findings of a recent study, which concluded that fasting for around 15 hours per day is optimal for weight loss.

The meta-analysis of more than 250 studies on diets and lifestyles suggested it may be prudent to stop eating late into the evening, for the sake of your weight.

According to the findings, stopping eating earlier in the day, around 3pm, offers the most significant weight loss results, compared to eating into the night.

The findings, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in the Netherlands, also showed those who adhered to these rules tended to shed roughly three more pounds over a five-week period.

Last year, Mark Larance, from the Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Science at the University of Sydney, said: “While most people would think that all fat tissue is the same, in fact, the location make big difference.

“Our data show both visceral and subcutaneous fat undergoes dramatic changes during intermittent fasting.”

In 2014, a literature study showed intermittent fasting in humans could reduce belly fat by about three to eight percent over a period of up to 24 weeks.

Participants also lost between four and seven percent of their waist circumference, which often indicates visceral fat.

Occasionally, visceral fat can be stored as a result of hormonal imbalance. For women, getting older is a risk factor for this reason.

The adrenal glands can cause the body to store more fat when they release more cortisol (stress hormone) into the blood.

What’s more, this fat often gets redistributed to the stomach, chest, and face.

Adherence to a healthy lifestyle, however, is important for preventing complications from arising further down the line.

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