Time-Restricted Feeding Studies and Possible Human Benefit

Metabolic syndrome consists of a constellation of clinical factors associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Preclinical studies demonstrate that restricting the time during a 24-hour period when an obese animal eats (time-restricted feeding) leads to metabolic benefits. These benefits, which may or may not be associated with weight loss, often lead to improvements in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Studies seeking to determine whether similar benefits result when humans restrict daily eating time (time-restricted eating) are less mature and less consistent in their findings. In this commentary, we outline some of the exciting preclinical findings, the challenges that preliminary studies in humans present, and efforts of the US National Institutes of Health and specifically the National Cancer Institute to address the role of time-restricted eating in cancer.