Early time-restricted eating could help people lose weight and improve blood pressure, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves periods of minimal or no food consumption without depriving the body of essential nutrients.
Decades of animal and human studies suggest that intermittent fasting offers a wide range of health benefits. However, its effectiveness for weight and fat loss remains unclear, and outcomes may depend on when food is consumed.
Time-restricted eating is a form of intermittent fasting that limits the hours during which individuals may eat, rather than restricting calories or food types.
In this study, researchers set out to determine whether early time-restricted eating—consuming all meals early in the day—is more effective for weight loss, fat loss, and cardiometabolic health than eating over 12 or more hours.
The 14-week clinical trial included adults aged 25 to 75 with obesity who were enrolled in a weight-loss program. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: early time-restricted eating combined with calorie reduction (an 8-hour eating window from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) or a control group that practiced calorie reduction while eating over a period of 12 hours or longer.
Researchers found that early time-restricted eating paired with calorie reduction led to greater weight loss than the control approach, even though both groups reduced calorie intake. The effect was equivalent to an additional 214 fewer calories consumed per day. However, early time-restricted eating did not significantly impact body fat in the full study sample.
The intervention also produced additional health benefits. Participants in the early time-restricted eating group experienced improved diastolic blood pressure and reductions in mood disturbances compared with the control group. Other measures—including heart and metabolic health markers, overall food intake, physical activity, and sleep—did not differ significantly between the groups.
A secondary analysis of 59 participants who completed the study revealed further advantages. Among these individuals, early time-restricted eating combined with calorie reduction resulted in greater reductions in both total body fat and trunk fat compared with the control group.
Taken together, the findings suggest that early time-restricted eating may be more effective for weight loss and for improving diastolic blood pressure and mood than eating over a window of 12 hours or more.
The study, conducted by Humaira Jamshed and colleagues, was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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