Partially unraveling mechanistic underpinning and weight loss effects of time-restricted eating across diverse adult populations: A systematic review and meta-analyses of prospective studies.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective interventional cohort and pre-post studies
PubMed 39813198 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0314685
What was done
Systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of 36 prospective studies (44 effect sizes, 914 adult participants) searched across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and CENTRAL up to January 28, 2024. The study evaluated pre- and post-intervention changes in body weight across three adult populations (healthy, chronic diseases, overweight/obesity) and assessed changes in daily caloric intake during time-restricted eating (TRE).
What was found
TRE significantly reduced body weight across all groups: healthy participants lost -1.04 kg (95% CI: -1.42 to -0.65), those with chronic diseases lost -3.33 kg (95% CI: -5.05 to -1.62), and those with overweight/obesity lost -4.21 kg (95% CI: -5.23 to -3.10). Mean daily energy intake decreased spontaneously from a baseline of 2000.64 kcal/day (95% CI: 1830.00 to 2172.98) to 1694.71 kcal/day (95% CI: 1498.57 to 1890.85) without intentional energy restriction.
Why it matters
Shows that time-restricted eating induces clinically meaningful weight loss in adults with overweight or chronic illness, driven in part by unintended spontaneous calorie restriction.
Limits
The meta-analysis relied on pre- and post-intervention comparisons across prospective studies rather than head-to-head comparisons against standard dietary controls. Study durations, specific fasting windows, and long-term weight maintenance beyond the intervention window were not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Free-living individuals who adopt time-restricted eating reduce their energy intake on average by roughly 200 calories per day.