More than a third of the US adult population has metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions including high blood pressure and obesity, that increase the risk of diseases like heart attack, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Scientists may have just found a relatively simple way to reduce their disease risk – intermittent fasting. Also known as time-restricted eating, it doesn't involve counting calories, but requires eating within one 8-10 hour window each day.
In a three-month trial involving 108 people with metabolic syndrome, intermittent fasting was shown to significantly improve markers of metabolic health compared with a standard nutritional counseling program.
According to the research team, from the Salk Institute and the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego), it's a promising start for this kind of treatment option – and something that most people could try.
"For many patients, metabolic syndrome is the tipping point that leads to serious and chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease," says Pam Taub, a cardiologist at UC San Diego.
"There is an urgent need for more effective lifestyle interventions that are accessible, affordable, and sustainable for the average American."
All the study participants were given nutritional advice, but only some of them followed an intermittent fasting regime. Among the benefits in this group were higher levels of weight loss (3.3 percent compared to 1.5 percent) as well as greater reductions in body mass index. These participants also presented with healthier blood sugar levels after the three-month trial.
The group following the time-restricted eating protocols showed improvements in key biomarkers in the body related to blood sugar and cholesterol levels, as well as long-term blood sugar regulation.
Each individual in the time-restricted eating group was given a customized window of time during which they could eat – this was based on their personal commitments and eating habits. The researchers think that approach helped to accentuate the metabolic benefits of intermittent fasting.
"Our bodies actually process sugars and fats very differently depending on the time of day," says chronobiologist Satchidananda Panda, from the Salk Institute.
"In time-restricted eating, we are re-engaging the body's natural wisdom and harnessing its daily rhythms to restore metabolism and improve health."
It's still early days, and we don't yet know how well this works over the longer term. It's also worth considering the potential drawbacks of intermittent fasting on health, which have been covered in previous studies.
However, the researchers think the approach could work as a complement to other treatments for metabolic syndrome, and as an alternative to something like Ozempic – which is effective for weight loss but also expensive. In this case, the only change would be to eating habits, with nothing extra required.
"Patients appreciate that they don't have to change what they eat, just when they eat," says Emily Manoogian, a chronobiologist from the Salk Institute.
The research has been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
