TIME-restricted eating (TRE), limiting food intake to an 8-hour window, significantly improves blood sugar control in adults at risk of Type 2 diabetes, regardless of time of day. The findings come from a randomised crossover trial presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Madrid, Spain.
The research, led by Kelly Bowden Davies from Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, found that TRE improved glycaemic control by increasing the amount of time participants spent in the normal blood glucose range and reducing fluctuations in glucose levels.
The trial involved 15 sedentary adults at risk of Type 2 diabetes who normally ate over a period of more than 14 hours per day (9 female, 6 male; average age: 52 years; BMI: 28 m/kg2; HbA1c: 37.9 mmol/mol). Participants followed two different TRE regimens for 3 days each: an early TRE period, where food was consumed between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and a late TRE period, between 12:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. A eucaloric standardised diet (50% carbohydrates, 30% fat, and 20% protein) was provided for both TRE periods.
Researchers used continuous glucose monitoring to assess daily time spent in euglycaemia (within a normal blood glucose range of 3.9–7.8 mmol/L) and markers of glycaemic variability, including mean absolute glucose, coefficient of variation, and mean amplitude of glucose excursions.
The results showed that, compared to habitual eating, TRE increased time spent in euglycaemia by an average of 3.3%, and reduced mean absolute glucose by 0.6 mmol/L, coefficient of variation by 2.6%, and mean amplitude of glucose excursions by 0.4 mmol/L. No significant differences were observed between the early and late eating periods.
“Our findings, which can be attributed to the 16-hour fasting window rather than the time of eating or changes in energy intake, also highlight that the benefit of time-restricted eating can be seen within just 3 days,” explained Davis. She emphasised that TRE could be a practical approach to improving blood sugar control without counting calories, making it an appealing option for those at risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Ada Enesco, EMJ
Reference
Bowden Davies KA et al. Time restricted eating improves glycaemic variability, independently of energy intake, in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes. Abstract 689. EASD Annual Meeting, 9–13 September, 2024.
