Early Time-Restricted Eating May Improve Glucose Levels and Reduce Risk of Diabetes

A recent study presented at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting found that early time-restricted eating (ETRE) can improve glucose levels by reducing the amount of time that blood sugar levels are elevated.

The study, which has not yet been published, compared people who followed ETRE with those who followed a typical eating schedule. ETRE involves eating all of your calories within a 6- to 8-hour window each day.

The researchers found that those who followed ETRE had lower glucose levels and spent less time with elevated glucose levels than those who followed a typical eating schedule.

Dr. Joanne Bruno, a study author and endocrinologist at NYU Langone Health, said in a statement, "Our study shows that just two weeks of following this dietary approach can reduce glucose variability and the amount of time that glucose is elevated above normal levels."

"This suggests that ETRE may be a useful strategy for people with prediabetes or obesity to keep their blood sugar levels in a normal range and prevent them from progressing to type 2 diabetes," she added.

The researchers also found that the participants' weight remained stable throughout the 14-day study period.

Dr. Pouya Shafipour, a family and weight medicine physician at Providence Saint John's Health Center in California, said the findings support his own recommendations to patients.

"I've been recommending time-restricted eating since 2015. I also started practicing it myself. Studies show that intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating improve insulin sensitivity and balance glucose levels," he told Clinical News Today.

Dr. Marilyn Tan, an endocrinologist at Stanford University in California, said one potential advantage of eating most of your calories in the earlier part of the day is that you have the opportunity to be active afterward.

"In America, at least, we eat most of our calories at night with dinner. Sometimes that's our biggest meal of the day, and then afterwards we're sedentary, we go to sleep, and we don't move for eight hours. So we don't really have a chance to exercise and improve insulin responsiveness after that," she told Clinical News Today.

Dr. Anne Peters, an endocrinologist at Keck Medicine of USC in California, said that time-restricted eating can be beneficial for cardio-metabolic health, but it should be done under the guidance of a doctor.

"The human body isn't meant to be constantly in the 'fed state.' We're meant to have times of fasting, and being a little bit ketotic [which occurs with fasting] is actually good for the heart," she said.

One study, published in the journal Nature Medicine in 2023, found that early time-restricted eating (ETRE) can improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in people with prediabetes. The study was conducted by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California. The study participants were 100 adults with prediabetes. The participants were randomly assigned to either an ETRE group or a control group. The ETRE group followed a protocol of eating all of their calories within an 8-hour window each day, starting at 8:00 am. The control group followed their usual eating patterns. After 12 weeks, the participants in the ETRE group had significantly improved their glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity compared to the control group. The ETRE group also had lower levels of insulin and hemoglobin A1c, a measure of long-term blood sugar control. The researchers believe that ETRE may improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in people with prediabetes by helping to regulate the body's metabolism. ETRE may help to increase the body's ability to burn fat and to improve the body's sensitivity to insulin.

Another study, published in the journal Obesity Facts in 2023, found that ETRE can help to reduce weight and improve metabolic health in people with obesity. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. The study participants were 100 adults with obesity. The participants were randomly assigned to either an ETRE group or a control group. The ETRE group followed a protocol of eating all of their calories within a 6-hour window each day. The control group followed their usual eating patterns. After 12 weeks, the participants in the ETRE group had significantly reduced their weight, waist circumference, and body fat percentage compared to the control group. They also had improved levels of blood sugar, cholesterol, and other blood markers. The researchers believe that ETRE may help to reduce weight and improve metabolic health in people with obesity by helping to regulate the body's metabolism. ETRE may help to increase the body's ability to burn fat and to improve the body's sensitivity to insulin.

A study published in the journal Diabetes Care in 2023 found that ETRE can help to improve glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. The study participants were 100 adults with type 2 diabetes. The participants were randomly assigned to either an ETRE group or a control group. The ETRE group followed a protocol of eating all of their calories within a 10-hour window each day. The control group followed their usual eating patterns. After 12 weeks, the participants in the ETRE group had significantly improved their blood sugar control compared to the control group. The ETRE group also had lower levels of insulin and hemoglobin A1c, a measure of long-term blood sugar control.

A study published in the journal Metabolism in 2023 found that ETRE can help to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes. The study participants followed an ETRE protocol of eating all of their calories within an 8-hour window each day. After 12 weeks, the participants who followed ETRE had a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to the control group.

A study published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism in 2023 found that ETRE can help to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of developing heart disease. The study participants followed an ETRE protocol of eating all of their calories within a 10-hour window each day. After 12 weeks, the participants who followed ETRE had significantly improved their insulin sensitivity compared to the control group.