Acute Time-Restricted Eating in Young Healthy Males

Nottingham Trent University18 enrolled

Overview

This study compared the metabolic response to three different eating windows (morning fast,12pm-8pm; evening fast, 8am-4pm; control, 8am-8pm).

Humans have evolved as a diurnal species, internally governed by the circadian system, which dictates our hormone regulation. 'Chrononutrition' is a sub-discipline which combines food timing with circadian physiology. The most popular method of time-restricted feeding in the UK is to skip breakfast. However, data from several meta-analysis have shown that skipping breakfast is associated with weight gain and insulin resistance, likely due to eating later into the evening/night and therefore, out of sync with our circadian rhythm. Recent research has shown that skipping dinner (evening fasting) has improved markers of cardio-metabolic health in clinical populations, although these are typically from longer-term studies. Despite these promising findings, it is not yet known whether these findings are population specific. Therefore, the investigators are interested in examining the metabolic response pre and post-intervention to see whether these promising findings can translate into a healthy population. Furthermore, the investigators will be monitoring subjective appetite, energy intake, and expenditure to assess whether there is any short-term adaptation to a specific feeding window.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Obesity Prevention

Interventions

Evening FastingBEHAVIORAL

Participants will undertake acute evening fasting (feeding between 8am-4pm) for one day. After which they will attend the laboratory, following a 16 h fast, where baseline measures will be taken and the response to a standardised meal will take place. The participant will also have an opportunity to feed ad-libitum before they leave the laboratory.

Morning FastingBEHAVIORAL

Participants will undertake an acute morning fasting trial (feeding between 12pm-8pm). After which, participants will visit the laboratory the following day, after a 16 h fast, where baseline measures will be taken and the response to a standardised meal will take place. The participant will also have an opportunity to feed ad-libitum before they leave the laboratory.

ControlBEHAVIORAL

Eligibility

Sex: MALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 30 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * recreationally active * non-smokers * non-dieting * weight stable (self-reported for \>6 months) * were not consuming any medication known to affect appetite or physical activity Exclusion Criteria: * Smokers * \>10 hours per week physical activity * Have dieted within the past 6 months * Excessive alcohol consumption (\>14 units/week) * Use of medication or supplements that may affect hormone concentrations.

Locations (1)

Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Glycaemic Control

A metabolic assessment lasting 3.5 hours will take place following a standardised, laboratory-based meal. The investigators will be taking periodic capillary and venous blood samples to measure post-prandial glucose and insulin, which together comprise 'glycaemic control'.

Time frame: 0 hour (Pre breakfast), 1 hour, 2 hour, 3.5 hour

Secondary Outcomes

Energy Intake

Energy intake will be measured both during lab and outside of the laboratory when the participants are free-living. During lab, energy intake will be measured through ad-libitum feeding buffet where 20 minutes will be permitted to eat as much or as little as they desire, until 'comfortably full and satisfied', followed by post-feeding measurement of the remaining food.

Time frame: 3.5 hour following breakfast

Energy expenditure

Energy expenditure will be measured via a chest-worn device (Actiheart) which combines heart rate and accelerometry to gauge calories expended.

Time frame: Activity recorded across day 1 standardisation and day 2 (lab visit and post lab visit)

Visual analogue scale for subjective ratings of appetite

Subjective appetite will be measured on mobile devices via a software which replicates a 100mm visual analogue scale. The scale is divided into subscales of different appetite perceptions including: hunger, fullness, desire to eat and prospective food consumption. This will be measured on a scale of 0-100 (0 - none at all) (100 - a lot).

Time frame: 0 hour (pre-breakfast), 1 hour, 2 hour, 3 hour, 4 hour (post breakfast during lab visit)

Acylated Ghrelin (Appetite hormone)

Acylated Ghrelin will be measured from the venous samples taken during the post-prandial period following the standardised meal.

Time frame: 0 hour (pre breakfast), 1 hour, 2 hour, and 3 hour post breakfast

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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