328 - #1 Fasting Researcher: Why Intermittent Fasting Works WITHOUT Calorie Cutting | Courtney Peterson

“The morning, up until around lunch, is the best time of day to eat most of our calories. And in fact, there’s been really great research. Even if you don't change the timing of your meals, if you make breakfast and lunch the largest meals of the day and dinner the smallest meal of the day, you lose more weight. And not only do you lose more weight, you're actually less hungry.” -Dr. Courtney Peterson 

“Talk about these time intervals. Why is 14 a magic number?” -Jason Wrobel 

“Typically, it takes the body about 12 to 14 hours to burn through a lot of its glycogen stores. Initially after a meal, your body's gonna be burning a lot of carbohydrates—so, glucose. It's gonna burn through a lot of the actual food in the meal, then it'll store some, burn others.” -Dr. Courtney Peterson 

“Are there any scientifically reported benefits for hormone health, or managing cancer, with TRE?” -Jason Wrobel 

“The area of cancer is super fascinating. Valter Longo does a lot of work in both the realms of aging and longevity, and cancer. Many years ago, he and some collaborators discovered if you fast cells or animals with cancer prior to treating the cancer with chemotherapy and radiation, you could kill tumors far more effectively.” -Dr. Courtney Peterson

What if the timing of your meals mattered just as much as the food on your plate? In this episode, we’re diving into the fascinating science of time-restricted eating with Dr. Courtney Peterson—one of the world’s leading researchers on how aligning our meals with the body’s internal clock can transform our health. A Harvard-trained scientist and Associate Professor of Nutrition Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dr. Peterson was the first to test early time-restricted eating in humans, and her groundbreaking work is redefining how we think about metabolism, energy, and chronic disease. If you’ve ever wondered if nourishment runs deeper than nutrients—that your body might be seeking harmony—then this episode will strike a chord.

What we discuss in this episode:

• Different types of intermittent fasting: how they compare, and what benefits they offer.

• The science behind time-restricted eating (TRE).

• How TRE supports weight loss and appetite regulation.

• Fasting, aging, and the process of autophagy.

• The best time of day to consume the majority of your calories.

• How meal timing can influence fertility and reproductive health in women.

• Grazing vs. structured mealtimes: what the science shows.

• The intersection of cancer treatment and fasting: what emerging research reveals.

• Hypertrophy and intermittent fasting.

• How fasting influences exercise performance.

• Dr. Peterson’s personal approach to intermittent fasting.

Resources: 

• Courtney Peterson Profile | University of Alabama at Birmingham

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