I have been getting this question a lot lately.
Some weight-loss gurus claim that eating many small meals throughout the day will boost your metabolism and aid in weight loss.
Some claim that it will help balance blood sugar.
On the flip side, others claim that time-restricted feeding, skipping meals, and fasting is better for weight loss.
So, what’s the deal?
Studies done on the matter found that it was MORE ABOUT THE NUMBER OF CALORIES EATEN than about how many times a day the participants ate. There was no significant difference in the amount of weight loss between the 2 groups (3 meals/day VS 6 meals/day). (1,2)
There is also no evidence that eating frequent meals will “increase your metabolism”.
From a biochemical perspective, it makes sense that eating LESS frequently during the day would aid in weight loss and blood sugar regulation.
This is because when you eat often your body is more frequently in what is called the “fed state”. In the fed state your body is producing insulin and BODY-FAT BURNING IS DOWN-REGULATED DRAMATICALLY.
Obviously, we need to burn lots of body-fat in order to lose weight.
In a person with a healthy digestive system and normal blood sugar control, you would be in the “fed state” for about 3 hours after a meal.
After that, your insulin levels decrease and insulin’s sister hormone, glucagon, increases. Glucagon does the opposite of insulin and it actually turns on body-fat burning (definitely a plus when trying to lose weight).
Of course, there are exceptions to this and if you are used to eating frequently throughout the day, it may take weeks to months for you to slowly adjust to fewer meals/snacks.
There is some evidence that this does help with weight loss. Here is a quote from one study that looked at this. (3)
Our results suggest that in relatively healthy adults, eating less frequently, no snacking, consuming breakfast, and eating the largest meal in the morning may be effective methods for preventing long-term weight gain. Eating breakfast and lunch 5-6 h apart and making the overnight fast last 18-19 h may be a useful practical strategy.
— Kahleova H, Lloren JI, Mashchak A, Hill M,
Fraser GE. Meal Frequency and
Timing Are Associated with
Changes in Body Mass Index in
Adventist Health Study 2. J
Nutr. 2017 Sep;147(9):1722-1728.
doi: 10.3945/jn.116.244749. Epub 2017
Jul 12. PMID: 28701389; PMCID: PMC5572489.
But what about people with poor blood sugar control?
A few short-term small studies have shown that increasing meal frequency for people with poor blood sugar control improved one measurement of blood sugar, but did not improve other important tests. What improved was oral-glucose tolerance after a meal, but what did not improve was insulin sensitivity or hemoglobin A1C. Hemoglobin A1C is a long-term indicator of blood sugar control. (4,5)
But one long-term study found that in adolescents with type 1 diabetes frequent meals led to higher levels of hemoglobin a1c. (6)
And another study found that rather than 6 meals/day, 3 meals a day led “to weight loss and a significant reduction in HbA1c, appetite, and overall glycemia, with a decrease in daily insulin.” (7)
It looks like the jury is still out in terms of outright benefits for blood sugar control from eating more or fewer meals in the day.
But I still go back to basic biochemistry.
One of the biggest issues with blood sugar dysregulation is just that; dysregulation.
So, the answer to that dysfunction and dysregulation is most likely NOT to just provide more frequent calories.
That is like saying, "I broke my foot and now I have to walk with crutches for the rest of my life, I really shouldn't use that foot...it's broken".
If you were to do that you would only be making the foot less functional over time.
And that's what happens when you try to fix the problem by further reducing the use of the system and relying on food coming in more frequently.
This means really that you are forcing the body to up-regulate the production of certain key enzymes that were "not needed" as much when you were eating all day.
Those are key enzymes for breaking down and burning fat for fuel.
The body is particularly concerned with energy conservation so if you don't use it, you lose it.
When you eat meals rich in protein, fat, and fiber (slow-burning fuels), stretch out the time in between meals, eat meals that are a little lower in carbs, and be physically active, you are now retraining your body to be an efficient fat-burner for fuel!
The thing about this whole conversation is that we are not all the same and we really need to pay attention to our bodies.
But I do suggest trying the following:
The key is to pay attention to your body and the results you are getting over time.
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