Early Time Restricted eating more effective than midday Time Restricted for reducing weight and insulin resistance in PCOS patients: Study

A total of 50 overweight or obese women, aged 18-40 years, and diagnosed with PCOS using the modified Rotterdam criteria, were enrolled in this randomized clinical trial. The participants were randomly assigned to either the e-TRE group (8:00–18:00, n=25) or the m-TRE group (11:00–21:00, n=25). Both interventions lasted for 6 weeks.

Anthropometric measurements and metabolic markers assessed were body weight, waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), fasting blood sugar (FBS), fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Independent and paired t-tests (and non-parametric equivalents) were applied to examine the differences.

Results

Anthropometric Parameters Improved Significantly

• Both e-TRE and m-TRE groups presented significant reductions in body weight, WC, and BMI after 6 weeks (p = 0.0001).

Enhanced Glycemic Control

• The FBS and HOMA-IR levels significantly decreased in both groups (p = 0.0001). However, e-TRE showed more significant reduction in the fasting insulin levels (p = 0.0001), which was not significant in the m-TRE group (p = 0.05).

Changes in Lipid Profile

• e-TRE significantly improved TC and LDL levels (p = 0.0001), while the m-TRE group did not exhibit significant changes (p = 0.05). Changes in TG and HDL were not statistically significant in either group (p = 0.05).

Intergroup Comparisons

• When comparing e-TRE and m-TRE, significant differences were found in weight, BMI, FBS, TC, LDL, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR (p = 0.05), favoring e-TRE as the superior intervention.

Early TRE was significantly better than mid-day TRE to reduce body weight and insulin resistance in women with PCOS. These results highlight the potential of e-TRE as an easy and non-pharmacological intervention for improving metabolic disorders associated with PCOS. However, its efficacy on lipid profile and overall metabolic health has to be validated further with more randomized control trials.

Reference:

Aminian M, Hajshafiha M, Heidari M, Daneghian S. Effect of Two Types of Time-Restricted Eating on Glycemic, Lipid Indices and Weight of Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Iran Biomed J. 2024 Dec 1;28(7):2. PMID: 39645592.