Beneficial Effects of Time-Restricted Eating on Metabolic Diseases: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 12; no. 5; p. 1267
• Main Authors: Moon, Shinje, Kang, Jiseung, Kim, Sang Hyun, Chung, Hye Soo, Kim, Yoon Jung, Yu, Jae Myung, Cho, Sung Tae, Oh, Chang-Myung, Kim, Tae
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 29-04-2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Bias; Blood Pressure; Body Composition; Body fat; Body Weight; Brain; Cholesterol; Cholesterol - metabolism; Circadian rhythm; Circadian Rhythm - physiology; Circadian rhythms; Citation indexes; Clinical trials; Confidence intervals; Diet Therapy - methods; Eating; Eating - physiology; Fasting; Fasting - physiology; Fat-free body mass; Homeostasis; Humans; Hypertension; Insulin; Intervention; Laboratory testing; Lipids; Meta-analysis; Metabolic Diseases - diet therapy; Metabolic Diseases - metabolism; Metabolic Diseases - physiopathology; Metabolic disorders; Metabolic syndrome; Obesity; Obesity - diet therapy; Overweight - diet therapy; Review; Time; time-restricted eating; Triglycerides; Weight reduction; metabolic syndrome; meta-analysis; time-restricted eating; obesity; circadian rhythm
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu12051267

Various behavioral and physiological pathways follow a pre-determined, 24 hour cycle known as the circadian rhythm. Metabolic homeostasis is regulated by the circadian rhythm. Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a type of intermittent fasting based on the circadian rhythm. In this study, we aim to analyze systemically the effects of TRE on body weight, body composition, and other metabolic parameters. We reviewed articles from PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library to identify clinical trials that compared TRE to a regular diet. We included 19 studies for meta-analysis. Participants following TRE showed significantly reduced body weight (mean difference (MD), -0.90; 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.71 to -0.10) and fat mass (MD: -1.58, 95% CI: -2.64 to -0.51), while preserving fat-free mass (MD, -0.24; 95% CI: -1.15 to 0.67). TRE also showed beneficial effects on cardiometabolic parameters such as blood pressure (systolic BP, MD, -3.07; 95% CI: -5.76 to -0.37), fasting glucose concentration (MD, -2.96; 95% CI, -5.60 to -0.33), and cholesterol profiles (triglycerides, MD: -11.60, 95% CI: -23.30 to -0.27). In conclusion, TRE is a promising therapeutic strategy for controlling weight and improving metabolic dysfunctions in those who are overweight or obese. Further large-scale clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings and the usefulness of TRE.