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MEAL TIMING Study: Effect of Time-Restricted Feeding on 24-hour Glycemic Control, Blood Pressure, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Adults With Prediabetes

Effect of Time-Restricted Feeding on 24-hour Glycemic Control, Blood Pressure, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Adults With Prediabetes

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03504683
Enrollment
108
Registered
2018-04-20
Start date
2020-08-17
Completion date
2025-11-24
Last updated
2026-05-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

PreDiabetes

Brief summary

One in three American adults have prediabetes, and up to 70% of adults with prediabetes eventually develop type 2 diabetes. With the high cost of treating diabetes, cost-effective approaches are needed to reduce the incidence of diabetes. One new strategy may be to change when people eat. Studies in rodents suggest that a form of intermittent fasting that limits eating to a short time period each day and involves fasting for the rest of the day (time-restricted eating; TRE) improves blood sugar control and cardiovascular health. Preliminary studies suggest that TRE also improves blood sugar, weight loss, and cardiovascular health in humans. This study will be the first full-scale, controlled feeding trial to determine whether TRE can improve 24-hour blood sugar control, 24-hour blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease risk factors even when food intake is matched to the control group. This clinical trial will also determine whether the benefits of TRE depend on the time of day that people eat. Participants will be assigned to one of three groups: (1) 'Early TRE' (eat between \ 8 am-3 pm), (2) 'Mid-day TRE' (eat between \ 1 pm - 8 pm), or (3) Control Schedule (\ 8 am - 8 pm) for 8 weeks. All food will be provided and matched between groups.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALEarly TRE

Eat between 8 am - 3 pm (or 7 am - 2 pm, if an early riser)

BEHAVIORALMid-day TRE

Eat between 1 pm - 8 pm (or 12 pm - 7 pm, if an early riser)

Eat between 8 am - 8 pm (or 7 am - 7 pm, if an early riser)

Sponsors

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Intervention model description

Randomization will be stratified by fasting insulin. Within the lowest insulin strata, randomization will be further stratified by biological sex.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
30 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Aged 30-70 years old * Prediabetic as determined by HbA1c between 5.7-6.4% or fasting glucose between 100-125 mg/dl with HbA1c \>= 5.1% * Fasting insulin less than 100.0 mU/l and, if HbA1c \<5.7%, must also have fasting insulin \>= 8.0 mU/l * BMI between 30-60 kg/m\^2 * Wake up at a regular time between 5-8 am

Exclusion criteria

* Been diagnosed with diabetes or on diabetes medication or any medication known to affect glucose or 24-hour rhythms in blood pressure * On weight loss medication * Change in the dosage of a chronic medication within the past 2 months * Have a clinically significant laboratory abnormality (e.g., abnormal hemoglobin levels) * Significant gastrointestinal disease, major gastrointestinal surgery, or gallstones * Significant cardiovascular, renal, cardiac, liver, lung, adrenal, or nervous system disease that might compromise the participant's safety or data validity * Evidence of cancer (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) within the last 5 years * Pregnant or breastfeeding * Diagnosed psychiatric conditions * Sleep disorder, circadian disorder, or regularly sleep less than 6 hours per night * Major change in health or medical history in the past 3 months * Currently perform overnight shift work * Regularly eat within a \<10.5-hour period each day * Lost or gained more than 4% of weight in the past 2 months * Traveled more than 2 time zones away in the 2 months prior to enrolling in this study * Will travel outside the Central time zone in the 2 weeks prior to testing * Will travel more than 1 time zone away during this study * Behavioral factors or other circumstances that may make it difficult for you to follow the study requirements

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Mean 24-hour glucose levels8 weeksMean 24-hour glucose levels (mg/dl)
Mean 24-hour insulin levels8 weeksMean 24-hour insulin levels (mU/l)
Mean 24-hour C-peptide levels8 weeksMean 24-hour C-peptide levels (pmol/l). This is also a proxy for total 24-hour insulin secretion.
Insulin sensitivity8 weeksMean value of insulin sensitivity (dl/kg/min/μU/ml) across the three identical meal tolerance tests, as measured by the Oral Minimal Model
Beta-cell responsivity index (a measure of beta-cell function)8 weeksMean value of beta-cell responsivity across the three identical meal tolerance tests, as measured by the Oral Minimal Model
Glucose AUCs8 weeksGlucose area-under-the-curve (mg/dl x hr) during each of three identical meal tolerance tests within a 24-hour period
Insulin AUC8 weeksInsulin area-under-the-curve (mU/l x hr) during each of three identical meal tolerance tests within a 24-hour period
C-peptide AUC8 weeksC-peptide area-under-the-curve (pmol/l x hr) during each of three identical meal tolerance tests within a 24-hour period
Peak glucose and mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE) glucose values8 weeksmg/dl

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Mean 24-hour systolic and diastolic blood pressure8 weeksmmHg
Daily maximum value, minimum value, and amplitude of systolic and diastolic blood pressure8 weeksmmHg
Percentage of individuals with non-dipping blood pressure phenotypes8 weeks
Heart Rate8 weeksbeats per minute
Lipids8 weeksTotal cholesterol (mg/dl), LDL cholesterol (mg/dl), HDL cholesterol (mg/dl), and triglycerides (mg/dl)
High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP)8 weeksmg/l
Cortisol8 weeksμg/dl
8-isoprostane8 weekspg/ml

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORCourtney M. Peterson, Ph.D.

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 6, 2026