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Dr. Satchin Panda: Intermittent Fasting to Improve Health, Cognition & Longevity | Huberman Lab

Andrew Huberman・143 minutes read

Dr. Sachin Panda's research emphasizes the impact of circadian rhythms on eating patterns and health, highlighting the benefits of time-restricted feeding within specific windows for metabolic health and overall well-being. The podcast discusses practical tools for aligning daily habits with circadian rhythms, promoting optimal health outcomes through structured meal timing and fasting.

Insights

  • Dr. Sachin Panda's research delves into circadian rhythms and eating patterns, impacting biology, psychology, energy levels, and overall health.
  • Specific eating patterns like intermittent fasting or time-restricted feeding can influence liver, gut, brain health, mood, and cognitive performance.
  • Consistency in meal timing is crucial for optimizing internal clocks in different systems, leading to better health outcomes.
  • Time-restricted feeding within a 8-12 hour window promotes metabolic health, emphasizing the importance of confining energy intake within specific periods.
  • Shift work disrupts physiology and brain function, impacting overall health, with lifestyle interventions like sleep extension and nutrition studies proving challenging for shift workers.
  • Dr. Panda's actionable science focuses on aligning circadian rhythms with daily habits, offering tools like the On Time Health app for balancing feeding, fasting, activity, and sleep.

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Recent questions

  • What is time-restricted feeding?

    Time-restricted feeding involves consuming all food within an 8 to 12-hour window without reducing overall calorie intake. This approach focuses on confining energy intake within a specific timeframe to promote metabolic health and potentially improve overall well-being. By restricting the hours in which food is consumed, individuals aim to optimize their circadian rhythms and enhance various aspects of health, including liver, gut, brain health, mood, and cognitive performance.

  • How does intermittent fasting work?

    Intermittent fasting encompasses various fasting methods, such as calorie reduction every day, every other day fasting, 5:2 diet, and periodic fasting. This approach involves alternating periods of eating and fasting, which can influence liver, gut, brain health, mood, and cognitive performance. By incorporating intermittent fasting into their routine, individuals may experience metabolic benefits and potentially improve overall health outcomes through controlled fasting periods.

  • What are the benefits of consistent meal timing?

    Consistency in meal timing is crucial to optimize the anticipatory activity of our internal clocks in different systems for better health benefits. By adhering to a regular schedule for meals, individuals can support their circadian rhythms and promote overall well-being. This practice ensures that various organs involved in feeding and digestion, from saliva production to liver metabolism, can anticipate meal times and prepare for efficient digestion, leading to improved health outcomes.

  • How does caffeine consumption impact health?

    Caffeine consumption can impact mental health, with anxiety and panic attacks potentially triggered by caffeine on an empty stomach. It is essential to differentiate between the mental health and physical health effects of caffeine, such as anxiety and panic attacks versus acid reflux. Understanding the potential consequences of caffeine intake, especially on an empty stomach, can help individuals make informed decisions about their consumption habits and overall well-being.

  • What are the challenges faced by shift workers?

    Shift work, defined as working irregular hours, can disrupt physiology, metabolism, and brain function, impacting overall health and well-being. Individuals working irregular hours, such as nurses, doctors, firefighters, truck drivers, and service industry workers, face a higher risk of age-related diseases and metabolic issues. The challenges of shift work include disrupted sleep patterns, difficulty in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and increased susceptibility to health conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

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Summary

00:00

Optimizing Health Through Time-Restricted Feeding

  • The Huberman Lab podcast discusses science and science-based tools for everyday life, hosted by Andrew Huberman, a professor at Stanford School of Medicine.
  • Dr. Sachin Panda, a professor at the Salk Institute, has made significant contributions to understanding circadian rhythms and the impact of eating patterns on health.
  • Dr. Panda's research focuses on how circadian behaviors, including eating patterns, affect biology, psychology, energy levels, and overall health.
  • Specific eating patterns, like intermittent fasting or time-restricted feeding, can influence liver, gut, brain health, mood, and cognitive performance.
  • Intermittent fasting encompasses various fasting methods, such as calorie reduction every day, every other day fasting, 5:2 diet, and periodic fasting.
  • Time-restricted feeding involves consuming all food within an 8 to 12-hour window without reducing overall calorie intake.
  • Consistency in the start and end times of the feeding window may offer benefits, but flexibility in timing, like starting between 11 AM and noon, can still be effective.
  • The duration of the feeding window, whether 6, 8, or 12 hours, can impact health outcomes, but maintaining a feasible schedule is crucial for long-term adherence.
  • The concept of time-restricted feeding emphasizes confining energy intake within a specific window, promoting metabolic health and potentially improving overall well-being.
  • Experimenting with different feeding windows and finding a schedule that suits individual preferences and lifestyle can optimize the benefits of time-restricted feeding.

16:05

"Feeding Time Impacts Circadian Rhythms and Health"

  • The concept of animal studies feeding into human eating is based on the science of circadian rhythm, where every cell and organ in the body operates on a predetermined timetable.
  • Circadian clocks are sensitive to light, the primary time giver, affecting our internal clock when there are changes like daylight saving time or travel across time zones.
  • A significant experiment in 2000-2002 by Uli Sibler showed that feeding mice at the wrong time altered their liver clock, leading to subsequent studies revealing the influence of feeding times on circadian rhythms.
  • The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) is considered the master circadian clock, with other brain regions following its cues based on feeding times, as shown by Pierre Schambon's lab in Europe.
  • Changes in external time compared to internal time, like during daylight saving time, can lead to feeling groggy or out of peak performance due to the body taking time to adjust.
  • Various organs involved in feeding and digestion, from saliva production to liver metabolism, have their own internal clocks that anticipate meal times and prepare for digestion.
  • Consistency in meal timing is crucial to optimize the anticipatory activity of our internal clocks in different systems for better health benefits.
  • Eating at the wrong time, like late at night, can disrupt the digestive system's rhythms, leading to poor digestion and potential discomfort or hangover-like symptoms the next day.
  • The distinction between feeding and eating times is crucial, with considerations on how different foods digest at varying rates and affect blood sugar levels, impacting the fasted or fed state.
  • Indirect calorimetry experiments in mice show how feeding affects the body's energy source utilization, with changes in respiratory exchange ratio indicating shifts from glucose to fat burning processes.

32:41

Timing of Food Intake Influences Longevity

  • Athletic Greens, now called AG-1, is a comprehensive vitamin, mineral, and probiotic drink that fulfills essential nutritional needs, promoting gut health with probiotics crucial for microbiotic health.
  • The benefits of caloric restriction were explored in an experiment by Jotakahasi Islam, where rats consuming 20-30% fewer calories lived longer, with a focus on timing of food intake.
  • The experiment revealed that mice on a caloric restriction diet, eating small meals every 90 minutes throughout the day and night, lived longer than those on a traditional caloric restriction diet.
  • Time-restricted feeding, where calories are consumed within a specific window, showed significant impacts on longevity, with mice living 20% longer when fed during their active cycle and 35% longer when fed during their inactive cycle.
  • Biomarkers failed to predict the benefits of caloric restriction, suggesting undiscovered markers may influence longevity.
  • Body weight and composition remained consistent across all groups, indicating that timing of food intake, rather than total caloric intake, played a crucial role in longevity.
  • Human studies mirrored these findings, showing no significant difference in weight loss between those on a 10-hour feeding window and those on an 8-hour feeding window with the same caloric intake.
  • The optimal feeding window for longevity in mice was within a 12-hour period, with no significant difference observed between a 2-hour and 12-hour feeding window.
  • The importance of considering sex as a biological variable in studies was highlighted, with differences observed between male and female mice in response to time-restricted feeding.
  • While the impact of different feeding windows on humans remains uncertain, inadvertently reducing caloric intake may occur when attempting shorter feeding windows like 4 or 6 hours.

48:41

Optimal Timing for Meals and Energy Balance

  • One meal per day can lead to gastric distress and fatigue due to excessive intake in one sitting.
  • Time-restricted feeding can boost energy levels, especially in a fasted state with caffeine intake.
  • Some individuals may unknowingly expend more energy through physical activity than they consume, leading to a negative energy balance known as RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports).
  • RED-S affects nearly 40% of athletes, impacting both male and female athletes, potentially causing menstrual irregularities and bone health issues.
  • RED-S can disrupt the HPG axis, leading to hormonal imbalances and mental health symptoms like depression and anxiety.
  • Studies suggest that 4-6 hours of time-restricted eating can aid weight loss in healthy individuals, but caution is advised for those who are physically active.
  • Eating within an 8-10 hour window is recommended, with the possibility of extending to 12 hours for physically active individuals.
  • A study on time-restricted eating within a 12-hour window showed similar weight loss results to standard nutritional advice, emphasizing the importance of food quality over timing.
  • Combining time-restricted eating with improved nutrition quality can prevent RED-S symptoms, especially for women and non-athletes.
  • Consistent timing of meals can impact mental health, gut health, and overall well-being, with considerations for conditions like acid reflux and heartburn when consuming caffeine on an empty stomach.

01:05:03

Evolution of Caffeine: From Evening to Morning

  • Caffeine consumption can impact mental health, with anxiety and panic attacks potentially triggered by caffeine on an empty stomach.
  • Differentiating between mental health and physical health effects of caffeine is crucial, such as anxiety and panic attacks versus acid reflux.
  • The history of caffeine reveals its evolution from an evening social activity to a morning stimulant.
  • The controlled use of fire by humans allowed for extended evening activities, leading to socialization, culture, and the birth of various disciplines.
  • Evening activities, like socializing and eating, have been integral to human civilization, evolving into modern forms like social media.
  • Coffee consumption initially began as an evening activity, particularly in places like Istanbul, where it was linked to socializing and discussing politics.
  • Coffee's stimulatory properties led to its adoption as a morning drink to aid in waking up for early prayers.
  • The thick nature of Turkish coffee led to the development of breakfast as a buffer against acid reflux caused by caffeine.
  • The link between evening activities, caffeine intake, and morning routines highlights the impact of light exposure and natural waking signals on energy levels.
  • Research on sleep patterns in cultures without electricity reveals consistent bedtime patterns within a short time frame after sunset, challenging the concept of night owls and morning people.

01:21:38

"Sleep Patterns: Genetics, Routines, and Impact"

  • The individual used to go to bed around midnight, preparing to sleep by 11:45 pm, and waking up at 6-6:15 am, with a short nap during the day.
  • In college, the person would nap for 45 minutes to an hour regularly, taking advantage of the opportunity.
  • During grad school, the individual shifted to staying up until 2 am, being productive with experiments and writing, but after having a baby, their schedule changed to sleeping between 10-11 pm.
  • A colleague conducted a study where participants went camping, slept early, and woke up with the sunrise, leading to long-lasting changes in their sleep-wake rhythms.
  • Research suggests that internal clocks can shift, challenging the idea of genetic predisposition to being a night owl.
  • Some individuals have a genetic predisposition to sleep early due to a mutation in clock genes, affecting their circadian rhythms significantly.
  • Morning discussions typically revolve around work-related topics, while evening activities allow for self-expression and relaxation.
  • Social media usage in the evening should be limited, with more focus on constructive interactions with family or engaging in productive discussions.
  • Light sensitivity can impact circadian rhythms, with some individuals being more sensitive to light at night, affecting their sleep patterns.
  • Shift work and time-restricted feeding studies, like those involving firefighters, highlight the challenges and impact of disrupted sleep schedules on overall health and well-being.

01:37:48

Impact of Shift Work on Health and Physiology

  • Shift work, defined as working irregular hours, even once a week, can disrupt physiology, metabolism, and brain function.
  • Changing external timing cues, like traveling or staying awake extra hours, affects our internal clock, taking days to reset.
  • Shift workers, like nurses, doctors, firefighters, truck drivers, and service industry workers, make up about 20% of working adults.
  • College students, with irregular sleep patterns due to deadlines and late-night studying, also experience shift work-like disruptions.
  • Around 50% of the adult population, including mothers of newborns and food delivery drivers, live the life of a shift worker.
  • Shift workers face a higher risk of age-related diseases like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gastrointestinal issues, inflammation, colon cancer, and diabetes.
  • Shift workers are often excluded from clinical trials, making it challenging to find effective treatments for their health issues.
  • Lifestyle interventions like sleep extension, physical activity, and nutrition studies are difficult for shift workers due to their work schedules and fatigue.
  • Even short-term disruptions in sleep and eating patterns, like those experienced by shift workers, can lead to metabolic issues like pre-diabetes.
  • Research on shift workers' health is limited, with less than 50 studies focused on improving the health of shift workers specifically.

01:54:36

"Firefighters Benefit from Time-Restricted Eating Study"

  • Firefighters in the U.S. consist of 70% full-time and 30% volunteer firefighters, with full-time firefighters working 24-hour shifts, either one day on, one day off for four cycles, or 48-hour shifts with two days on, two days off, and then four or five days off.
  • San Diego firefighters were screened for metabolic health to determine if they could adhere to a 10-hour time-restricted eating schedule, with the San Diego Fire and Rescue Department supporting the study.
  • Firefighters were asked to eat within a 10-hour window, maintaining consistency even on days off, without altering their work schedule or sleep patterns.
  • Researchers, including Emily Manoogian and Adina Jadurian, lived the life of firefighters at a busy San Diego fire station to understand their culture and challenges, experiencing multiple wake-ups during the night.
  • 155 recruited firefighters were split into groups following a Mediterranean diet and eating within a 10-hour window, with flexibility in choosing their 10-hour eating period but required consistency.
  • Most firefighters began eating between 8 AM and 11 AM, with no skipped meals, and were able to stick to the 10-hour eating window for at least five days out of seven.
  • One-third of the firefighters were already healthy, showing no signs of illness, while others had varying health conditions, leading to no significant difference in weight loss between the two groups.
  • Time-restricted eating led to changes in LDL particle size and number, reducing the risk of atherosclerosis, and significantly lowering blood pressure in firefighters with high blood pressure, akin to the effects of antihypertensive drugs.
  • Firefighters with high blood sugar saw improved blood glucose management, crucial as shift workers struggle more with blood sugar control, even with medications.
  • Both groups unintentionally improved nutrition quality by following a Mediterranean diet, increasing fruits and vegetables intake, reducing alcohol consumption significantly in the time-restricted eating group, which is crucial for shift workers who often rely on alcohol to cope with their schedules.

02:10:35

Gut Microbiome, Metabolism, and Meal Timing

  • Changes in metabolism and bile acid excretion in the gut are linked to alterations in the gut microbiome.
  • Amir Jariwala conducted a study on this topic while in the lab, now having his own lab at UCSD.
  • Bomb calorimetry and metabolomics were used on fecal samples to determine calorie excretion and brown fat activity increase.
  • Salk Institute supports scientific research, with Bill Brody initiating an Innovation grant program funded by Arvind Jacob.
  • NIH funding tends to prioritize less risky proposals, while philanthropists like Irwin Jacobs support high-risk, groundbreaking research.
  • An app called My Secret Clock simplified food tracking by allowing users to take pictures of their meals for analysis.
  • A study involving 156 non-shift workers monitored their eating habits, revealing that the median number of daily meals was seven.
  • Nearly 50% of adults in the study ate for 14 hours and 45 minutes daily, with only 10% adhering to conventional three-meal schedules.
  • Children and teenagers are recommended to sleep for 9-11 hours, with high school students often sleep-deprived due to late-night device use.
  • Structuring meal intake within an 8-12 hour window is advised, with considerations for meal timing's impact on circadian rhythms and health outcomes.

02:26:05

Fasting for Health: Benefits and Concerns

  • Complete fasting has been practiced in many religions for body cleansing and health benefits.
  • Every other day eating has shown health benefits in mice and humans, with fasting clinics in Germany offering supervised complete fasts.
  • Fasting may impact brain health, potentially aiding in treatment-resistant depression.
  • Fat fasting, limiting blood glucose by consuming healthy fats, is a strategy combining feeding time restriction and low blood glucose levels.
  • Concerns exist about the long-term impact of low carbohydrate diets on pancreatic islet cells and muscle atrophy.
  • Metformin and berberine mimic fasting states, potentially offering health benefits like improved longevity and blood glucose control.
  • Calorie restriction studies in mice suggest that timing of food intake affects metabolic processes like mTOR activation and AMP kinase activity.
  • Circadian rhythms play a crucial role in metabolism, influencing gene expression and protein levels of nuclear hormone receptors.
  • Berberine's effects on blood glucose levels vary based on carbohydrate intake, potentially causing hypoglycemia without sufficient carbohydrate consumption.
  • Understanding circadian effects on metabolism is essential for optimizing health and considering factors like shift work and meal timing.

02:42:45

"Dr. Sachin Panda: Leading Circadian Health Research"

  • Dr. Sachin Panda is praised for his ability to conduct animal and human studies with a focus on human health, which is rare in the competitive funding environment.
  • Dr. Panda's work includes actionable science in his laboratory, with links provided for further information and an app for direct engagement in scientific studies.
  • Dr. Panda emphasizes the importance of aligning Circadian rhythm with daily habits, offering an app called On Time Health to help balance feeding, fasting, activity, and sleep.
  • The Huberman Lab podcast highlights the significance of Dr. Panda's leadership in communicating science to the public, with a focus on circadian biology and time-restricted feeding.
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