- Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a type of fasting that involves eating within a specific time period..
- Researchers recently found that time-restricted feeding (TRE) combined with standard nutritional counseling may help improve glucose control and weight loss in adults with metabolic syndrome.
- Compared to people who only followed standard dietary guidance, People interested in TRE experienced greater reductions in fat mass and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) levels.
108 participants participated in the randomized controlled trial and tracked their eating habits through the myCircadianClock (mCC) app.
The results showed that the TRE group experienced greater reductions in fat mass and improvements in glucose control compared to those who followed standard dietary guidance alone.
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of personalized TRE as a lifestyle intervention in addition to standard nutritional counseling.
Findings showed that TRE combined with standard nutritional counseling led to greater improvements in glucose control and reductions in weight and fat mass compared with standard nutritional counseling alone.
Time-restricted eating (TRE), common in intermittent fasting, is gaining popularity as a method for weight control. The most common approach is to consume food within an 8- to 12-hour window each day, outside of which you fast, allowing only water and noncaloric beverages.
Other potential benefits include improved cognitive functions, anti-aging and anti-cancer effects, and improved insulin sensitivity.
Participants were randomly divided into two groups; The first group was given healthy lifestyle and nutrition advice, such as the Mediterranean diet. They were instructed to maintain their usual eating patterns and prescribed medications.
The second group was given the same nutritional guidance but was also told to follow a personalized 8- to 10-hour feeding window.
Researchers monitored the intervention remotely over a three-month period. During this period, participants used the myCircadianClock (mCC) app to record daily meal times.
The main focus of the study was changes in fasting blood sugar and HbA1c levels.
HbA1c is a blood test that shows your average blood sugar level over the past 2-3 months to help monitor or diagnose diabetes.
The results showed that compared to the group that received standard nutritional guidance alone, a greater portion of the TRE group’s weight loss came from fat and their weight loss was greater.
This suggests that TRE may reduce the risk of muscle wasting typically associated with weight loss.
Although the changes were modest, the TRE group also saw greater improvements in blood sugar control and hemoglobin A1c levels.
These data suggest that TRE is an effective and practical lifestyle intervention with positive effects on glycemic control and cardiometabolic health.
First author Emily NC Manoogian, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, described the key findings. Today’s Medical News.
“Metabolic syndrome is a combination of cardiovascular risk factors, and there is no single treatment that will cure it. In adults with metabolic syndrome, TRE has been found to be safe, even when combined with common medications such as Metformin and Statins, and this complex syndrome is associated with changes in HbA1c (blood sugar), LDL cholesterol, and body composition ( We found that it benefits many aspects, including fat loss (fat amount) while preserving lean mass.
—Emily N.C. Manoogian, PhD
“This is the same amount achieved so far.
“Specifically, about 70% of the participants were already taking medication to improve their cholesterol, so we saw an additive effect.”
M.D., a board-certified bariatric surgeon and medical director of the Memorial Care Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, who was not involved in the research. Mir B Ali said: MNT It was stated that the research was “consistent with other studies showing the benefits of intermittent fasting/time-restricted eating.”
“As people become more aware of time-restricted eating, more people can potentially use this approach to help lose weight. Of course, the most important element of losing weight is choosing the right foods, but fasting for a period of time directs the body to burn fat. It’s a time-consuming process where you typically don’t consume calories but are calorie-free.” There is an 8-16 hour window during which fluids are consumed. For most people, it is easiest to do some of this at night because you will be sleeping for most of this time.
— Mir B Ali, MD
Manoogian also explained that “this research demonstrates that 8-10 hours of TRE is an effective lifestyle intervention that can be combined with medications to improve many aspects of cardiometabolic health, particularly glucose regulation, cholesterol, and weight.”
“Additional studies of longer duration, with more participants, and conducted in multiple locations are needed to better understand the health effects of TRE,” Manoogian emphasized.
Although more research is needed, this study adds to the growing body of research on TRE and metabolic syndromes.
Additionally, the innovative use of the myCircadianClock (mCC) application opens the door to studies to be carried out remotely and on a larger scale in the future.