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Research Advances in Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Eating for Human Health

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2025 | Viewed by 1245

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
Interests: intermittent fasting; weight loss; obesity; adipose tissue

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Guest Editor
Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
Interests: intermittent fasting; weight loss; obesity; time-restricted eating

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Intermittent fasting, which involves cycling between periods of fasting and eating, has gained popularity as a novel dietary intervention for weight loss and health improvement. Based on the length of the cycle, intermittent fasting can be categorized into the 5:2 diet, alternate-day fasting (ADF), and time-restricted eating (TRE). Intermittent fasting has been claimed to help with weight loss, reducing inflammation, increasing autophagy, and elongating lifespan. However, relatively few studies conducted in humans have been published to support these claims. Recent evidence shows that, indeed, intermittent fasting can lead to mild to moderate weight loss (3–5%) in 3–12 months. However, it remains unclear how intermittent fasting may improve other aspects of health as claimed. Moreover, many studies have been performed in healthy populations with normal or elevated BMIs. Therefore, whether intermittent fasting is safe and effective for health improvements in people with chronic diseases is still to be explored. This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and clinical trials highlighting the effect of intermittent fasting on human health with or without weight loss. We look forward to your submissions.

Dr. Shuhao Lin
Prof. Dr. Krista Varady
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • intermittent fasting
  • weight loss
  • obesity
  • time-restricted eating
  • metabolic diseases
  • health benefits

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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12 pages, 897 KiB  
Brief Report
Time-Restricted Eating Versus Daily Calorie Restriction: Effects on Inflammatory Markers over 12 Months in Adults with Obesity
by Shuhao Lin, Sofia Cienfuegos, Mark Ezpeleta, Vasiliki Pavlou, Sarah Corapi, Mary-Claire Runchey, Shaina J. Alexandria, Lisa Tussing-Humphreys and Krista A. Varady
Nutrients 2025, 17(7), 1130; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17071130 - 25 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1050
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Obesity is associated with chronic systemic inflammation and elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Weight loss through lifestyle interventions can reduce inflammation in adults with obesity. Time-restricted eating (TRE) [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Obesity is associated with chronic systemic inflammation and elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Weight loss through lifestyle interventions can reduce inflammation in adults with obesity. Time-restricted eating (TRE) and calorie restriction (CR) are two popular diet interventions that can produce clinically significant weight loss. However, to date, no studies have directly compared the effects of TRE versus CR on inflammatory cytokines in adults with obesity. Methods: Here, we performed a secondary analysis on a recently published study to compare the long-term (12-month) effects of TRE versus CR on key inflammatory cytokines. Results: We found that while TRE and CR produced similar amounts of weight loss (4–5% from baseline), no statistically significant changes in circulating levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and CRP were noted in the TRE or CR groups, compared to the controls, by month 12. However, we did observe that circulating CRP levels were positively related to body weight, visceral fat mass, and insulin resistance, while IL-6 and TNF-alpha were not related to any metabolic marker. Conclusions: Thus, TRE and CR may not affect key inflammatory mediators with 4–5% weight loss, but more research is warranted. Full article
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