LUBBOCK, Texas – On Thursday, Texas Tech released a statement about a recent study that was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Members of Texas Tech’s Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management looked at whether intermittent fasting can be a solution for active individuals.
Grant Tinsley, an assistant professor of exercise physiology in the Texas Tech Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management, is the author of a study that has found that time-restricted feeding (TRF) can increase muscle mass while also burning fat.
“For active individuals, simultaneous fat loss and lean-mass gain is often viewed as very difficult or impossible,” Tinsley said. “However, we demonstrated that a simple, time-restricted feeding program, with very minimal dietary advice, was able to produce these changes when combined with an evidence-based exercise program.”
In recent months, the keto diet has become the chosen fad diet of many celebrities. Keto, which is short for ketogenic, is a carb-free, high protein and fat diet. When there are no carbs for the body to digest, it’ll start breaking down protein and fat for energy, which can cause weight loss.
Some negative effects of the keto diet can be the body will lose muscle mass due to it entering starvation mode. Individuals looking to gain muscle are warned against going keto, according to Lisa Cimperman, R.D.N. and clinical dietitian at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
TRF is a better solution for individuals looking to lose weight and not affect their muscle mass. Also, this diet has minimal dietary restrictions, so individuals can eat what they want. The key is only to consume calories within an 8-hour period.
“Based on all of this, I think intermittent fasting deserves attention as a strategy to be considered by active individuals, although it certainly isn’t the strategy for everyone,” Tinsley said.
