Time-restricted eating is no more beneficial than daily calorie restriction for reducing body weight, body fat, or metabolic risk factors among patients with obesity, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers randomly assigned 139 patients with obesity to time-restricted eating (eating only between 8:00am and 4:00pm) with calorie restriction or daily calorie restriction only. All participants were instructed to follow a calorie-restricted diet (1,500-1,800 kcal/day for men, 1,200-1,500 kcal/day for women) for 12 months. At 12 months, the mean weight loss from baseline was -8.0 kg in the time-restriction group, compared with -6.3 kg in daily calorie-restriction group. There was no significant difference noted between the groups in change in weight at the 12-month assessment (net difference, -1.8 kg; 95% CI, -4.0 to 0.4). Consistent results were seen for analyses of waist circumference, BMI, body fat, body lean mass, blood pressure, and metabolic risk factors.
