Intermittent fasting is safe and effective for those with Type 2 diabetes

Time-restricted eating, also known as intermittent fasting is practiced in many parts of the world both culturally and with spiritual beliefs. This fasting can help people with Type 2 diabetes lose weight and control their blood sugar levels, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open from researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Study reports Participants who ate only during an eight-hour window between noon and 8 p.m. each day actually lost more weight over six months than participants who were instructed to reduce their calorie intake by 25%. Both groups had similar reductions in long-term blood sugar levels, as measured by a test of hemoglobin A1C, which shows blood sugar levels over the past three months.

The researchers believe this is partly because patients with diabetes are generally told to cut back on calories by their doctors as a first line of defense, so many of these participants likely had already tried -- and struggled with -- that form of dieting.

And while the participants in the time-restricted eating group were not instructed to reduce their calorie intake, they ended up doing so by eating within a fixed window.

"Our study shows that time-restricted eating might be an effective alternative to traditional dieting for people who can't do the traditional diet or are burned out on it," said Varady, a professor of kinesiology and nutrition.

Reference: Vasiliki Pavlou, Sofia Cienfuegos, Shuhao Lin, Mark Ezpeleta, Kathleen Ready, Sarah Corapi, Jackie Wu, Jason Lopez, Kelsey Gabel, Lisa Tussing-Humphreys, Vanessa M. Oddo, Shaina J. Alexandria, Julienne Sanchez, Terry Unterman, Lisa S. Chow, Alaina P. Vidmar, Krista A. Varady. Effect of Time-Restricted Eating on Weight Loss in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes. JAMA Network Open, 2023; 6 (10): e2339337 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.39337.