Effects of Time-Restricted Feeding on Energy Balance: A Cross-Over Trial in Healthy Subjects

Abstract

Time-restricted feeding (TRF) has been recently reported as an effective dietary intervention for losing body weight, implying a negative energy balance, without restricting nutrient intake. However, the detailed energy balance alteration caused by TRF remains unclear. This study was a randomized controlled clinical trial using a within-subject cross-over design. Twelve healthy, normal-weighted volunteers (age: 24 ± 2.3 years; BMI: 21.9 ± 1.71 kg/m2; 7 females) were studied under a rigorous control for calorie intakes, physical activities as well as sleep-wake cycle to evaluate the energy balance systematically. Each participant consumed an isocaloric diet within either a 5.5-hour TRF or 11-hour control schedule. All energy intake and excretion were traced and collected and accessed by bomb calorimetry. Energy expenditure and substrates oxidation were monitored in a metabolic chamber. TRF compared with control schedule is associated with a 22.7% increase in fecal energy loss (Δ = 32.25 ± 9.33 Kcal, p = 0.005) and a trend in increasing 14.5% urine energy loss (Δ = 6.67 ± 3.14 Kcal, p = 0.058) without change energy expenditure. In total, a negative energy balance (Δ = -45.95 ± 19.00 Kcal, p = 0.034), which was equal to -2.6% of total energy intake, has been observed during TRF interventions. In the meantime, glycemic profiles, heart rate, respiration rate as well as metabolic flexibility were also improved during TRF intervention. Taken together, our findings unravel the mystery of how TRF regulates energy balance, supporting the use of TRF as an alternative dietary strategy for weight loss.

Early time‐restricted eating affects weight, metabolic health, mood, and sleep in adherent completers: A secondary analysis

“…Studies on other versions of TRE report more mixed results. For heart rate, only 1 prior study on TRE reported an improvement [43]. In our per-protocol analysis, eTRE+ER did not improve lipids, systolic blood pressure, or diastolic blood pressure.…”

Preparation procedures of food and beverage samples for oxygen bomb calorimetry: A scoping review and reporting checklist

“…Following the electronic database search and subsequent synthesis of articles ( Fig. 1 ), 71 studies were included in the final review [ 3 , 9 – 17 , 22 – 52 , 53 – 82 ]. Full details of these investigations are provided in the Supporting Information_2 ( https://www.jfda-online.com/journal/vol31/iss2/3/ ).…”

“…To date, researchers have employed a variety of sample preparation techniques and equipment calibration processes when undertaking bomb calorimetry for food and beverage energy measurement. These include freeze drying [ 9 ], oven drying (at various temperatures) [ 10 , 11 ], grinding [ 12 ], mixing [ 13 ], combustion of different sample volumes [ 14 , 15 ], and analyses of varying sample sizes [ 16 , 17 ]. The extent to which these different approaches have been used, and their impact on subsequent energy discernment, is yet to be rigorously examined.…”

Does time‐restricted eating add benefits to calorie restriction? A systematic review

“…Of note, this study reported greater reductions in daily eating windows compared with the studies that prescribed CR + eTRE but showed no effect (4.8‐h/day change in baseline eating window vs. 2.3 h vs. 2.4 h, respectively) [22,24,31]. The extended fasting periods in the CR + TRE conditions may have contributed to greater weight loss through a few potential mechanisms, including increased fat oxidation [20,35], daily energy expenditure [37,38], and/or increased fecal energy loss [34]. Additionally, other studies have found that intermittent energy restriction attenuates the reduction in resting metabolic rate associated with continuous CR [37,38].…”