The modulation of carbohydrate intake and intermittent fasting in obese Saudi women: a pilot study

• Published in: Bulletin of the National Research Centre Vol. 47; no. 1; pp. 146 - 11
• Main Authors: Al-jammaz, Muneerah H., Al-kalifah, Abdulrahman, Al-bader, Nawal Abdullah, Al-hussain, Maha H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-12-2023; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Agriculture; Body composition (fat mass, fat-free mass, visceral fat, fat mass); Body weight; Carbohydrates; Diet; Engineering; Feeding; High density lipoprotein; Humanities and Social Sciences; Intermittent fasting; Low carbohydrate diet; Low density lipoprotein; Medicine and Human Genetics; Moderate low-carbohydrate diet; multidisciplinary; Nutrient deficiency; Obesity; Physical activity; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Time restricted feeding; Body composition (fat mass, fat-free mass, visceral fat, fat mass); Time restricted feeding; Intermittent fasting; Body weight; Moderate low-carbohydrate diet
• ISSN: 2522-8307; 2522-8307
• DOI: 10.1186/s42269-023-01118-6

Background
In recent years, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased, leading to the development of various dietary interventions as potential treatments. Two popular diets are time-restricted feeding and low-carbohydrate diets, but there is limited research on the effects of combining them. This study assessed the effects of pairing an eight-hour time-restricted feeding window with a moderate-carbohydrate diet and compared to a paired eight-hour time-restricted feeding window with a regular diet.
Results
The study involved 52 obese women divided into three groups: the first group followed an 8 h time-restricted feeding with a moderate low-carbohydrate diet (8-hTRF+mLCD), the second group followed an 8 h time-restricted feeding with a regular diet (8-hTRF), and the third group was the control group. Both 8 h TRF+mLCD and 8 h TRF groups had a decrease in TG levels compared to the control group. The HDL levels in both TRF groups were significantly higher than the control group, while LDL levels remained statistically insignificant in both TRF groups.
Conclusions
This suggests that an 8 h TRF with or without mLCD can effectively treat obesity without a change in physical activity, and combining it with a low-carbohydrate diet gives better and more rapid results.