Early vs late time-restricted eating: Which is more effective in NAFLD?

Early (eTRE) and late time-restricted eating (lTRE) both result in significantly reduced intrahepatic fat and improved body composition, liver function, and metabolic health among patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), reports a study.

Forty patients with NAFLD (mean age 38.25) met the eligibility criteria of this 8-week, randomized, parallel-arm, open-label trial. Participants were randomly assigned to either eTRE (eating between 8 am and 4 pm) or lTRE (eating between 12 pm and 8 pm).

The change in intrahepatic fat, as measured by magnetic resonance image-derived proton density fat fraction, served as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were changes in weight, body composition, liver function, and cardiometabolic factors.

All 40 participants completed the trial. Those in the eTRE group showed an absolute decrease in intrahepatic fat of ‒3.24 percent (95 percent confidence interval [CI], ‒4.55 to ‒1.92), while patients in the lTRE group had an absolute reduction of ‒3.51 percent (95 percent CI, ‒5.10 to ‒1.92). Changes in intrahepatic fat did not significantly differ between the two arms.

In addition, reductions in weight, visceral fat, subcutaneous fat, liver enzymes, and glucose regulatory indicators were significant and similar between eTRE and lTRE groups.

“These findings suggest that eTRE and lTRE are comparable and feasible strategies for NAFLD management,” the researchers said.