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The Effect of Time-restricted Eating on Liver Metabolism

The Effect of Time-restricted Eating on Liver Metabolism

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04997486
Acronym
TREL
Enrollment
5
Registered
2021-08-09
Start date
2021-07-20
Completion date
2024-03-07
Last updated
2024-11-25

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

Conditions

NAFLD, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases, Obesity

Brief summary

Numerous studies have established the role of nutrition on obesity and its related metabolic diseases, which together affect a billion individuals worldwide. Evidence indicate that meal timing regulates numerous metabolic processes suggesting that meal time manipulation may be a simple intervention against obesity and its metabolic diseases. Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a dietary manipulation that involves restricting food intake to 6-10 h/day with no energy intake the rest of the day. In rodents, TRE significantly decreases hepatic steatosis and dyslipidemia, while it supports a healthier hepatic cellular content even without caloric restriction, potentially by alternating activation of nutrient sensing mechanisms and effects on circadian oscillations. However, an understanding of the effect of TRE on liver health in people is not clear. Accordingly, we will conduct a randomized controlled trial in people with overweight/obesity and hepatic steatosis to determine the effect of 9 h TRE for 12 weeks, on key metabolic outcomes in liver health: 1) intrahepatic triglyceride content using magnetic resonance imaging; 2) de novo lipogenesis during fasting and postprandial conditions using administration of deuterated water in conjunction with mathematical modeling. The proposed study will enable us to determine the effect of meal timing on metabolic function in people with NAFLD.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALTime restricted eating

Participants will be asked consume all meals/snacks during a \ 9-h daily eating period (\ 15-h fasting).

Sponsors

University of California, Davis
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
25 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* age 25-75 years * men and women * body mass index 25-45 kg/m2 * clinical diagnosis of NAFLD * self-reported habitual eating period more than or equal to 14 h per day.

Exclusion criteria

* shift worker, recent or expected travel crossing time zones * fasting \>12-h/day more than once a week \*\> once a week no food intake after 18:00 * habitually waking up before 04:00 and sleeping before 22:30 * unstable weight (\>5% change in the last 2 months) * diabetes mellitus or alcoholic liver disease * sleep disorder * history of or current eating disorder * cancer in last 5 years * conditions that render subject unable to complete all testing procedures * use of medications that affect the study outcome measures or increase the risk of study procedures and that cannot be temporarily discontinued * smoking or illegal drug use * pregnant or breastfeeding * having metals in the body * cognitive impairment * gastrointestinal or bariatric surgery that affects nutrient digestion and absorption unable to grant voluntary informed consent or comply with the study instructions individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers) * individuals that are unable to lie motionless on the MRI scanner for an hour or \*have tattoos or tattooed eyeliner * alcohol abuse * prisoners

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) contentAbout 12 weeksIHTG will be assessed by using MRI
Change in de novo lipogenesis (DNL)About 12 weeksDNL will be assessed by using administration of deuterated water and measurement of deuterium enrichment in plasma lipids
Change in glucose, free fatty acid and triglyceride levels in response to a mealBefore and after 12 weeksPostprandial metabolic homeostasis will be assessed by using a mixed meal tolerance test.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026