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It’s About Timing: Contrasting the Metabolic Effects of Early vs. Late Time-Restricted Eating in Humans

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Time-restricted eating (TRE), a form of intermittent fasting, restricts feeding time across the day, imposing a daily ‘eating window’. The time of day when the eating window occurs could result in differential metabolic effects. Here, we describe recent intervention studies in humans assessing the metabolic consequences of an early- (i.e., eating window starting in the early morning) vs. late (i.e., eating window starting after midday)-TRE protocol.

Recent Findings

Well-controlled studies indicate that both TRE protocols effectively reduce body weight and improve altered glucose metabolism, lipid profile, inflammation, or blood pressure levels. An early-TRE (e-TRE) might have a further positive impact on improving blood glucose, insulin levels, and insulin resistance. However, the studies directly assessing the metabolic consequences of an early- vs. late-TRE have shown dissimilar findings, and more well-controlled clinical trials are needed on the metabolic benefits of these two types of TRE.

Summary

Evidence suggests that an e-TRE might have enhanced metabolic results, particularly regarding glucose homeostasis. More long-term studies, including larger sample sizes, are needed to assess the metabolic, circadian, and adherence benefits, together with socio-cultural acceptance of both TRE approaches.

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Data Availability

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Research, FONDECYT Initiation, grant #11230075 (to RC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Bernardita Sepúlveda & Andrea Marín

  2. Food and Nutrition Unit, Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital, Santiago, Chile

    Raquel Burrows

  3. Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Alejandro Sepúlveda

  4. Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Av. Independencia 1027, Independencia, Santiago, Chile

    Rodrigo Chamorro

Authors
  1. Bernardita Sepúlveda
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  2. Andrea Marín
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  3. Raquel Burrows
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  4. Alejandro Sepúlveda
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  5. Rodrigo Chamorro
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Contributions

RC and BS designed the study; BS, AM, AS, and RC participated in the acquisition and interpretation of data; BS, RB, and RC wrote the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final paper.

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Correspondence to Rodrigo Chamorro.

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Sepúlveda, B., Marín, A., Burrows, R. et al. It’s About Timing: Contrasting the Metabolic Effects of Early vs. Late Time-Restricted Eating in Humans. Curr Nutr Rep (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-024-00532-0

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