A recent study presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting shows that time-restricted eating (TRE), where people limit their eating to an eight-hour window each day, can help improve blood sugar control in adults at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The study found that this benefit occurred regardless of whether the eating window was earlier or later in the day.
The lead author, Dr. Kelly Bowden Davies from Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, explained, “We found that restricting eating to eight hours per day significantly improved the time spent with normal blood glucose levels and reduced blood sugar fluctuations.
However, there were no additional benefits depending on whether the eating window was earlier or later in the day.”
The benefits seen in the study were likely due to the 16-hour fasting period, not changes in when people ate or how much they ate.
Interestingly, these positive effects were noticeable after just three days of following this eating pattern.
While TRE is becoming popular as a simple way to improve health, this study is unique because it looked at how different meal timing impacts blood sugar control.
Previous research has shown that TRE can help improve insulin sensitivity (the body’s response to insulin) and reduce HbA1c levels (a measure of blood sugar over time) in people at risk of diabetes.
However, there was less understanding of how TRE affects daily blood sugar fluctuations and whether it works by simply reducing calorie intake.
To explore this, the researchers designed the study to ensure participants ate enough to match their energy needs, rather than cutting calories.
They tested two different eating windows: an early window from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (ETRE) and a late window from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm (LTRE). They also compared these results with participants’ usual eating habits, which spanned over 14 hours a day.
The study involved 15 overweight, inactive adults (average age 52) who were at risk of type 2 diabetes.
Each participant followed both the early and late eating patterns for three days each, eating a balanced diet of 50% carbohydrates, 30% fat, and 20% protein. During their usual eating schedule, they ate whatever they normally would.
The researchers used continuous glucose monitors to track how much time participants spent with normal blood sugar levels (3.9-7.8 mmol/l) and measured fluctuations in blood sugar throughout the day.
Compared to their usual eating habits, participants who followed the eight-hour TRE plan spent 3.3% more time with normal blood sugar levels. They also saw improvements in blood sugar stability, with lower fluctuations (by 0.6 mmol/l for mean absolute glucose and by 0.4 mmol/l for mean amplitude of glucose excursions).
Interestingly, there was no significant difference between the early and late eating windows, suggesting that it’s the fasting period, not the timing, that matters most.
Dr. Bowden Davies noted, “Many people find counting calories difficult to maintain, but our study suggests that simply limiting eating to an eight-hour window may help improve blood sugar control in those at risk of type 2 diabetes. This approach is worth exploring further in larger, longer-term studies.”
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