Effects of Early and Late Time-Restricted Feeding on Parameters of Metabolic Health: An Explorative Literature Assessment.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Review of 13 randomized controlled trials
PubMed 38892654 · doi:10.3390/nu16111721
What was done
Authors conducted an explorative literature review of 13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) retrieved from PubMed and Scopus to evaluate the metabolic effects of early time-restricted feeding (eTRF; first meal before 10:30 a.m.) versus late time-restricted feeding (lTRF; first meal after 11:30 a.m.).
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data or effect sizes. Across the reviewed trials, time-restricted feeding consistently reduced energy intake and body weight and improved systolic blood pressure and insulin resistance. eTRF appeared to have a greater beneficial effect on insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) than lTRF.
Why it matters
This review suggests that timing caloric intake earlier in the day may confer greater improvements in insulin sensitivity compared to delayed eating windows.
Limits
The review included only 13 studies with notable variations in study design. Most reviewed trials were under 8 weeks in duration, failed to account for participant chronotype, lacked non-restricted control groups, and the abstract reports no quantitative meta-analytic pooling.
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