A recent study from NYU Langone compared early time-restricted feeding (eTRF), eating 80% of daily calories before 1PM, to a "usual" feeding pattern, 50% of daily calories consumed after 4PM.
"The findings show that eating a majority of one's calories earlier in the day reduces the time that the blood sugar is elevated, thereby improving metabolic health," Dr. Jose O. Aleman, assistant professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the study's senior author, said.
According to a press release, eating the majority of one's daily calories before 1PM may pose metabolic health benefits and counter weight gain, the recent study from NYU Langone Health suggests. The study evaluated an eating schedule called early time-restricted feeding, or eTRF. According to NYU Langone researchers, an eTRF routine entails consuming 80% of daily calories before 1PM.
"This type of feeding, through its effect on blood sugar, may prevent those with prediabetes or obesity from progressing to type 2 diabetes," said lead study author Joanne H. Bruno, MD, PhD.
The study compared eTRF to a "usual feeding pattern", or 50% of calories consumed after 4PM. A total of ten participants with prediabetes and obesity were involved in the study and randomly assigned to an eTRF schedule or a usual feeding pattern for seven days. After the first seven days, the feeding schedules were switched. Through continuous glucose monitoring over the duration of the study, researchers found high blood sugar levels decreased after just one week of eTRF.
"The findings show that eating a majority of one's calories earlier in the day reduces the time that the blood sugar is elevated, thereby improving metabolic health," said Dr. Aleman.
Previous research around eTRF found this type of intermittent fasting could improve cardiometabolic health and blood sugar levels, but researchers aimed to discover whether or not these improvements were influenced by weight loss or the fasting method itself. A decrease in mean blood sugar levels suggested a connection.
"Based on this data, eTRF may be a helpful dietary strategy for diabetes prevention," Dr. Bruno said. "Further studies are needed to understand the true overall benefit of these intervention strategies."
