Effects of Early and Delayed Time-restricted Eating in Adults With Overweight and Obesity

Effects of Early and Delayed Time-Restricted Eating on Body Weight and Metabolic Parameters in Adults With Overweight and Obesity

Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a dietary approach that aims to increase fasting time and decrease the eating window. Promising TRE effects on weight loss and some cardiometabolic risk factors have been reported. However, there is a lack of randomized clinical trials that directly investigate the effect of TRE at different times of the day (early vs. delayed) in individuals with overweight and obesity. The present study investigates the effects of 8 weeks of TRE performed at different moments of the day on body composition and cardiometabolic parameters in adults with overweight and obesity.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male and female;
• Body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 34.9 kg/m²;
• Age between 20 and 40 years;
• Not engaged in any structured exercise program;
• Weight stable for ~3 months prior to the beginning of the study;
• Able to give written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current smoker;
• Cardiometabolic diseases (dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, etc);
• Current treatment with medication or supplements which significantly affect the main studied variables;
• Night-shift workers;
• Night eating syndrome;
• Irregular sleep patterns;
• For women: pregnancy, planned pregnancy (within the study period), lactating or menopause;
• Habitual fasting window >16 hours;
• Concomitant participation in other studies.