Time-restricted eating, also known as intermittent fasting, can help people with Type 2 diabetes lose weight and control their blood sugar levels, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open from researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago, including University of Illinois Cancer Center members.
Participants who ate only during an eight-hour window between noon and 8 p.m. each day actually lost more weight over six months than participants who were instructed to reduce their calorie intake by 25%. Both groups had similar reductions in long-term blood sugar levels, as measured by a test of hemoglobin A1C, which shows blood sugar levels over the past three months.
Cancer Center Members
Study authors who are Cancer Center members include senior author Krista Varady, PhD, Kelsey Gabel, PhD, Lisa Tussing-Humphreys, PhD, MS, RD, and Vanessa Oddo, PhD, MPH, all part of the Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention and Control research program. Tussing-Humphreys is co-leader of that research program.
“Our study shows that time-restricted eating might be an effective alternative to traditional dieting for people who can’t do the traditional diet or are burned out on it,” said Varady, a professor of kinesiology and nutrition. “For many people trying to lose weight, counting time is easier than counting calories.”