Supervisors info:
Eυαγγελία Χαρμανδάρη, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ, Επιβλέπουσα
Φλώρα Μπακοπούλου, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Γεωργία Κουρλαμπά, Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Νοσηλευτικής, Πανεπιστήμιο Πελοποννήσου
Summary:
In recent decades, one of the major problems that the medical community faces worldwide is the increase in the obesity rates in both the adult and pediatric population, resulting in the development of chronic diseases. Standard practices for managing increased weight include limiting daily calorie intake by 30% in combination with lifestyle changes. However, dedication to this program begins to wane after 1-4 months, resulting in weight gain after about one year. Therefore, the scientific interest has focused on finding alternative strategies to address the problem of obesity and its consequences on health.
The method of limiting daily energy intake to a period of 8-10 hours or less on most days of the week or on daily basis has beneficial effects on the body, such as reducing weight and adipose tissue and improving metabolic parameters.
The reason why research has focused on the benefits of time-restricted eating is based on pathophysiology. The human body has developed the ability to periodically adjust endogenous metabolic pathways, following cyclic alternations of day and night, a biological process known as circadian rhythm. For this reason, the harmonization of circadian rhythm with the times of food intake has been a research topic in recent years based on the potential therapeutic effects of this way of eating.
Aim: the present study aims to highlight the positive effect of time-restricted eating both on weight reduction and the regulation of specific metabolic parameters.
Methodology: the PubMed and Cochrane online libraries were searched with specific keywords, and the final selection of the studies included in the survey was based on specific selection and exclusion criteria.
Results: participants who followed time-restricted eating showed reductions in body weight [(mean-MD: -1.46 kg, (95% Confidence Interval (CI -2.20 to -0.72)], body mass index [MD: -0.848 kg (95% CI -1.134 to -0.562)], waist circumference [(MD) -1,389 cm (95% CI: -2,566 to -0,212], total body fat mass [MD: -0.651kg (95% CI -0.791 to -0.511)] and lean mass [(MD) -0,432 kg (95% CI: -0,665 to -0,199)]. In addition, improvement in cardiometabolic risk-factors was observed, such as a decrease in the insulin concentrations [MD: -1,427 mIU/L, (95% CI-2,562 to -0.291)], total cholesterol [(MD) -3.009 mg/dL (95% CI: -5.716 to -0.302;) and LDL concentrations [(MD): -3,108 mg/dL (95% CI -4,925 to -1,292)].
Conclusions: time-restricted eating is an effective and beneficial dietary intervention for weight loss and improvement of cardiometabolic risk-factors. However, additional studies are needed to confirm these results.
Keywords:
Time-restricted eating, Circadian rhythm, Obesity, Metabolic syndrome, Cardiometabolic parameters
