Time-Restricted Eating (TRE) is a form of intermittent fasting. The period of food intake is limited and a regular cycle of food intake is kept during the day with prolonged fasting in the evening and night. Research shows that adults with type 2 diabetes benefit from a maximum food intake period of 10 hours a day. As a result, blood sugar levels are falling.
The study included 14 people with type 2 diabetes (7 men, 7 women). At the start of each research period, the body weight of the participants was measured and they were equipped with a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device, which measures blood sugar levels every 15 minutes. Participants had to maintain their normal sleeping pattern and physical activity and did not change their food intake during the research. The participants received instruction to consume their normal diet within a period of 10 hours during the day and to eat or drink nothing more after 6 pm (excluding water, normal tea or black coffee). At the end of each research period, insulin sensitivity, sugar supply in the liver and metabolism of the participants was measured.
The result was that the blood sugar level, measured over several days, was consistently reduced by TRE, and especially at night was significantly lower. The study shows that TRE is a safe and feasible way to improve sugar level in adults with type 2 diabetes. The study showed no changes in the field of insulin sensitivity, the mitochondrial function or the metabolism. Therefore, more and longer research is needed to investigate how precisely the blood sugar is lowered and whether other favorable health effects will occur in the longer term.
Source: Maastricht UMC+
