Early time-restricted feeding improves insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress even without weight loss in men with prediabetes
Supervised controlled-feeding crossover trial (prediabetic men; weight held stable) comparing early time-restricted feeding (6-hour daytime window, dinner before mid-afternoon) with a 12-hour control schedule for 5 weeks per arm: improved insulin sensitivity, β-cell responsiveness, morning blood pressure, lipid peroxidation (8-isoprostane), and evening appetite scores without weight loss.
Why this paper matters
First human weight-matched test showing intermittent fasting / meal timing can move cardiometabolic risk markers without relying on caloric deficit—supporting circadian-aligned early eating as a distinct lever from “eat less.”
Design (high level)
- Population: men with prediabetes
- Intervention: eTRE — 6 h feeding window with dinner before 3 p.m. vs control 12 h window; 5 weeks per schedule with crossover
- Feeding: controlled menus tailored to maintain body weight
Reported directional outcomes (per trial abstract / figures)
- Improved insulin sensitivity and β-cell responsiveness (OGTT-derived indices)
- Lower morning systolic and diastolic blood pressure
- Lower 8-isoprostane (oxidative stress to lipids)
- Appetite: lower evening desire/capacity to eat, higher fullness
- Little change in hs-CRP, IL-6, cortisol, augmentation index, pulse wave velocity, LDL/HDL in this small sample
Interpretation for this wiki
Small N (abstract notes paired completer counts in figures); treat as high-quality hypothesis confirmation for early TRE, not a guideline by itself. Indexed under time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting because the paper frames eTRE as a form of IF.
Outcomes
- Insulin SensitivityCrossover eTRE vs 12 h control (weight-stable feeding): improved insulin sensitivity and β-cell responsiveness on OGTT-derived indices (prediabetic men).
- Systolic Blood PressureMorning systolic and diastolic blood pressure lower on eTRE versus control in paired analyses (prediabetic men, weight-stable).
- 8-isoprostane (lipid peroxidation) reduced with eTRE; inflammatory markers hs-CRP / IL-6 largely unchanged in this sample.