It’s About Timing: Contrasting the Metabolic Effects of Early vs. Late Time-Restricted Eating in Humans

Apr 16, 2024Current nutrition reports

Metabolic Differences Between Early and Late Time-Restricted Eating in People

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Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Abstract

Time-restricted eating (TRE) protocols can effectively reduce body weight and improve metabolic health indicators.

Both early- and late-TRE protocols are associated with reductions in body weight and improvements in glucose metabolism, lipid profiles, inflammation, and blood pressure.
An early-TRE protocol may further enhance blood glucose control, insulin levels, and insulin resistance compared to a late-TRE protocol.
Findings from studies comparing early- versus late-TRE show variability, indicating the need for more well-controlled clinical trials.
There is potential for enhanced metabolic benefits with early-TRE, especially regarding glucose regulation.
Further long-term studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to explore the metabolic, circadian, and adherence benefits of TRE, along with societal acceptance.

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PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Time-restricted eating (TRE), a form of intermittent fasting, restricts feeding time across the day, imposing a daily 'eating window'. The time of day when the eating window occurs could result in differential metabolic effects. Here, we describe recent intervention studies in humans assessing the metabolic consequences of an early- (i.e., eating window starting in the early morning) vs. late (i.e., eating window starting after midday)-TRE protocol.

RECENT FINDINGS: Well-controlled studies indicate that both TRE protocols effectively reduce body weight and improve altered glucose metabolism, lipid profile, inflammation, or blood pressure levels. An early-TRE (e-TRE) might have a further positive impact on improving blood glucose, insulin levels, and insulin resistance. However, the studies directly assessing the metabolic consequences of an early- vs. late-TRE have shown dissimilar findings, and more well-controlled clinical trials are needed on the metabolic benefits of these two types of TRE. Evidence suggests that an e-TRE might have enhanced metabolic results, particularly regarding glucose homeostasis. More long-term studies, including larger sample sizes, are needed to assess the metabolic, circadian, and adherence benefits, together with socio-cultural acceptance of both TRE approaches.

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It’s About Timing: Contrasting the Metabolic Effects of Early vs. Late Time-Restricted Eating in Humans

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