Time-restricted feeding on weekdays restricts weight gain: A study using rat models of high-fat diet-induced obesity

Abstract

A recent study reported that a special weekly scheduled time-restricted feeding regimen (TRF), i.e., no food consumption for 15h during the light (inactive) phase per day for 5 weekdays, attenuated the outcome of diverse nutritional challenges in response to high-fat diet in mice. In the present study, we wanted to further test whether this TRF could restrict body weight gain in both juvenile and adult animals when fed a high-fat diet. Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats at ages from 5 to 27weeks were used. First, we found that freely fed rats with 60% fat diet gained weight significantly, which was associated with more calorie intake (particularly during light phase) than those fed standard food (7% fat). Secondly, we found that TRF restricted high-fat diet-induced weight gain in both groups of juvenile rats (5 and 13weeks of age) compared to freely fed rats with high-fat diet, despite the same levels of 24h-calorie intake during either weekdays or the weekend. Thirdly, we found that TRF did not restrict high-fat diet-induce weight gain in adult rats (27weeks of age). Thus, we suggest that this special TRF regimen could be further tested in humans (particularly young adults) for the purpose of obesity prevention.

Limiting feeding to the active phase reduces blood pressure without the necessity of caloric reduction or fat mass loss

“…To date, there are only a limited number of published TRF studies conducted in rats. HFD-fed juvenile rats (5 wk old) placed on TRF (9 h during active phase) on weekdays gained significantly less weight over the course of a 12-wk study compared with Control-fed animals (34). However, there were considerable variations in experimental design, such as rat strain, duration of feeding window, and age that could have contributed to the discrepancy between this and the present study.…”

“…In study 1, we found that limiting feeding to a 12-h window reduced MAP and systolic blood pressure without reducing body weight, fat mass, hepatic TG, or food intake. Our data are consistent with another previous report showing that TRF in adult rats (6 mo old; same age as the rats in the present study) did not inhibit HFD-induced weight gain (34). However, the results from the present study are not consistent with mouse models presented by Chaix et al (7) in which the same intervention (TRF of 12 h during active phase) protected against HFD-induced obesity.…”

“…We found a mild but not significant reduction of the percentage of caloric intake consumed during the light phase when rats were fed the HFD compared with the chow diet (20.6 Ϯ 0.6% vs. 22.3 Ϯ 0.9%; data not shown). In juvenile rats, switching from a chow to a high-fat diet significantly increased feeding during the light phase but not during the dark phase (34). It is possible that changes in eating behaviors in response to a high-fat diet depend on age.…”

Microbiota modulation by eating patterns and diet composition: impact on food intake

“…However, in DIO male rats fed a HFD ad libitum, Firmicutes remained dominant regardless of feeding state (67). HFD-fed male rats have been found to increase their intake during their inactive phase (47), and alterations in animal eating patterns directly influence microbiota composition. Complete alternate-day fasting, modified fasting regimens, and time-restricted feeding have been found to "reprogram" oscillations of the gut microbiota (48).…”

“…Modified fasting regimens involve consuming 20 -25% of estimated energy needs on fasting days and consuming 100% of energy needs on intermittent days, whereas time-restricted feeding (TRF) allows ad libitum energy intake for a specific time frame followed by periods of fasting. TRF on weekdays has been shown to restrict weight gain in HFD-fed juvenile male rats (between 5 and 13 wk of age) independently of caloric intake (47). TRF is associated with increased production of SCFAs, specifically acetate, propionate, and butyrate (34).…”