Intermittent fasting plus early time-restricted eating versus calorie restriction and standard care in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial

Timing of meals helps intermittent fasting

31 August 2023

Intermittent fasting could be more effective at lowering blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes if the timing of meals on fast days is also controlled.

The weight-loss practice of fasting days interspersed with days of normal eating has gained popularity, but little research has examined its effects in people with diabetes.

Now, a team led by researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia has compared time-restricted intermittent fasting with two other diet regimes in 209 adults with type 2 diabetes.

Specifically, intermittent fasting where meals on the three fast days were consumed at 8 am and midday was compared with diets based on standard nutritional advice and diets in which the daily calorie intake was reduced by 30%.

After six months, those on the time-restricted intermittent had significantly better blood glucose control than those in the other two groups.

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References

1. Nature Medicine 29, 963–972 (2023). doi: 10.1038/s41591-023-02287-7