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Nutrients
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Intermittent Fasting: A Heart-Healthy Dietary Strategy?
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Intermittent Fasting: A Heart-Healthy Dietary Strategy?

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 July 2025 | Viewed by 6809

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Rubén Fernández-Rodríguez

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Guest Editor
Health and Social Research Center, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 16071 Cuenca, Spain
Interests: intermittent fasting; time-restricted eating; physical activity; nutrition; diet; public health; cardiometabolic health; mental health; exercise; nut consumption; inflammation; obesity; type 2 diabetes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Intermittent fasting has received special attention from the scientific community and the general population in the last decade due to its potential benefits on health. Although intermittent fasting has been performed since ancient times, it has emerged as a dietary strategy to facilitate weight loss or improve cardiometabolic health, facilitating individuals' long-term adherence. Intermittent fasting is an umbrella term that includes different types, defined as a dietary approach that alternates periods of eating with periods of not eating (fasting). The two major types are alternate-day fasting (ADF), which involves a feast day (usually ad libitum diet) alternated with a fast day (from zero calories to 25% of energy requirements, also known as modified-ADF), and time-restricted eating (TRE), which involves defined daily periods of eating and fasting in sync with the circadian clock.

This Special Issue explores the relationship between intermittent fasting approaches and cardiovascular health, with the aim of determining and explaining the effectiveness and basis of this dietary strategy that are related or may impact heart and cardiovascular health in different types of populations. This Special Issue invites submissions on topics including epidemiology, clinical trials, observational studies, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Submissions of new findings from current work on intermittent fasting approaches that can provide insightful perspectives on cardiovascular health are welcome.

Dr. Rubén Fernández-Rodríguez
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • time-restricted eating
  • intermittent fasting
  • diet
  • dietary strategy
  • caloric restriction
  • chrononutrition
  • cardiometabolic
  • cardiovascular
  • public health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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16 pages, 720 KiB  
Article
Effect of Time-Restricted Eating on Circulating Levels of IGF1 and Its Binding Proteins in Obesity: An Exploratory Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial
by Rand Talal Akasheh, Aparna Ankireddy, Kelsey Gabel, Mark Ezpeleta, Shuhao Lin, Chandra Mohan Tamatam, Sekhar P. Reddy, Bonnie Spring, Ting-Yuan David Cheng, Luigi Fontana, Seema Ahsan Khan, Krista A. Varady, Sofia Cienfuegos and Faiza Kalam
Nutrients 2024, 16(20), 3476; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16203476 - 14 Oct 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3125
Abstract
Obesity is associated with alterations in circulating IGF1, IGF1-binding proteins (IGFBPs), insulin, inflammatory markers, and hormones implicated in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and aging. However, the effects of 4 and 6 h time-restricted eating (TRE) on circulating IGF1 and IGFBPs is uncertain. Objective: [...] Read more.
Obesity is associated with alterations in circulating IGF1, IGF1-binding proteins (IGFBPs), insulin, inflammatory markers, and hormones implicated in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and aging. However, the effects of 4 and 6 h time-restricted eating (TRE) on circulating IGF1 and IGFBPs is uncertain. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of TRE on plasma IGF1, IGFBP1, IGFBP2, and IGFBP3, and whether these effects were mediated by weight loss or body composition changes. Insulin sensitivity, glucose control, adipokines, and inflammatory markers were also examined. Design: An exploratory analysis of an 8-week randomized controlled trial implementing a daily TRE intervention was carried out. Participants/Setting: This study was conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2019. Participants with obesity were randomized to 4 or 6 h TRE (n = 35) or a control (n = 14) group. Plasma biomarkers were measured by ELISA at baseline and week 8. In a sub-analysis, participants were stratified into higher- (>3.5%) and lower- (≤3.5%) weight-loss groups. Intervention: Participants fasted daily from 7 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the 4 h TRE group (20 h) and from 7 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the 6 h TRE group (18 h), followed by ad libitum eating for the remainder of the day. Controls received no dietary recommendations. Main outcome measures: IGF1, IGFBPs, hsCRP, and adipokines were the main outcome measures of this analysis. Statistical Analysis: Repeated measures ANOVA and mediation analysis were conducted. Results: Body weight significantly decreased with TRE (−3.6 ± 0.3%), contrasting with controls (+0.2 ± 0.5%, p < 0.001). Significant effects of TRE over time were observed on plasma IGFBP2, insulin, HOMA-IR, and 8-isoprostane levels, without affecting other biomarkers. In the sub-analysis, IGFBP2 increased while leptin and 8-isoprostane decreased significantly only in the “higher weight loss” subgroup. Changes in insulin and HOMA-IR were related to TRE adherence. Conclusions: Eight-week daily 4 to 6 h TRE did not affect IGF1, IGFBP1, or IGFBP3 levels but improved insulin, HOMA-IR, and 8-isoprostane. IGFBP2 increased and leptin decreased when weight loss exceeded 3.5% of baseline. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermittent Fasting: A Heart-Healthy Dietary Strategy?)
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11 pages, 585 KiB  
Brief Report
Time-Restricted Eating Versus Daily Calorie Restriction: Effect on Sleep in Adults with Obesity over 12 Months
by Shuhao Lin, Sofia Cienfuegos, Mark Ezpeleta, Kelsey Gabel, Vasiliki Pavlou, Shaina J. Alexandria and Krista A. Varady
Nutrients 2024, 16(20), 3528; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16203528 - 18 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3056
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this secondary analysis was to compare the effects of time-restricted eating (TRE) versus daily calorie restriction (CR) on sleep quality, duration, insomnia severity, and risk of obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity over one year. Methods: A total [...] Read more.
Objective: The aim of this secondary analysis was to compare the effects of time-restricted eating (TRE) versus daily calorie restriction (CR) on sleep quality, duration, insomnia severity, and risk of obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity over one year. Methods: A total of 90 participants were randomized to one of three groups for 12 months: 8 h TRE (eating only between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m.); CR (25% daily calorie restriction) or a no-intervention control group. Results: By the end of the study, weight loss was 4.61 kg (95% CI; 7.37 to 1.85 kg; p ≤ 0.01) for the TRE group and 5.42 kg (CI; 9.13 to 1.71 kg; p ≤ 0.01) for the CR group, with no statistically significant difference between TRE and CR (0.81 kg [CI; 3.07 to 4.69]; p = 0.68]). Self-reported sleep quality, sleep duration, insomnia severity, and risk of obstructive sleep apnea did not change in the TRE or CR groups versus controls by month 12. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the weight loss produced by TRE and CR does not have any impact on various sleep parameters in adults with obesity over one year. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intermittent Fasting: A Heart-Healthy Dietary Strategy?)
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