It might not be what you eat, but rather, when you eat, a new study says.

Researchers found that mice restricted to eating only within eight hours of the day gained less weight than mice who ate the same amount of high-fat food but could eat around the clock.

Health Day also reported those mice with time-limited diets also had healthier livers and less inflammation.

The study authors say that the body's organs operate better during certain times of the day, while at other times they work more inefficiently.

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The liver, intestines, and muscles are slower during certain times of the day when doing tasks such as mobilizing glucose or breaking down cholesterol.

“Every organ has a clock,” said study author Satchidananda Panda of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, according to Health Magazine.

The research differs from previous analyses of weight loss that focus on food and caloric intake.

"The focus has been on what people eat. We don't collect data on when people eat," Panda said.

Frequent eating around the clock disturbs the body's metabolism.

The study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

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