Ann Intern Med
Time-restricted eating: Weight loss may be driven by lower calorie intake, not timing
In the setting of isocaloric dietary intake, time-restricted eating (TRE) didn’t lead to weight loss or improvements in glucose homeostasis compared with a usual eating pattern (UEP), suggesting that effects of TRE on weight in previous studies might be due to reduced caloric intake.
In the Time-Restricted Intake of Meals (TRIM) study, participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to TRE (10-hour eating window, 80% of calories before 1 p.m.) or UEP (≤16-hour window, ≥50% of calories after 5 p.m.) for 12 weeks. Both groups had the same nutrient content and were isocaloric (total calories determined at baseline). Primary outcome was change in body weight at 12 weeks.
41 participants (mean age, 59 years; 93% women; 93% Black; mean BMI, 36 kg/m^2) completed the intervention. Baseline weight was 95.6 kg in the TRE group and 103.7 kg in the UEP group. At 12 weeks, weight decreased by 2.3 kg (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 3.5 kg) in the TRE group and by 2.6 kg (95% CI, 1.5 to 3.7 kg) in the UEP group (average difference, 0.3 kg; 95% CI, -1.2 to 1.9 kg). Changes in glycemic measures were similar between groups.
Source:
Maruthur NM, et al. (2024, April 19). Ann Intern Med. Effect of Isocaloric, Time-Restricted Eating on Body Weight in Adults With Obesity : A Randomized Controlled Trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38639542/