Early Time Restricted eating more effective than midday Time Restricted for reducing weight and insulin resistance in PCOS patients: Study
Researchers have established that early time-restricted eating (e-TRE) is better than mid-day time-restricted eating (m-TRE) for weight management and for improving insulin sensitivity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is the most common endocrine and metabolic disorder affecting women of reproductive age worldwide and is implicated with an increased risk for metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes. A recent study was conducted by Maryam A. and colleagues which was published in the Iranian Biomedical Journal.
With more and more interest in this specific type of intermittent fasting-the time-restricted eating-in improving weight loss, regulation of glucose, and lipids metabolism, there remain uncertainties as to whether or not such restriction should come early in the day and termed e-TRE (e-TRE) or come middle of the day and labeled as m-TRE (m-TRE). This clinical study, therefore, attempts a head to head comparison of e-TRE vs. m-TRE on selected metabolic parameters on women patients with PCOS.
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.
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