Eight-hour TRE may help obese adults with type 1 diabetes
A fresh study from University of Illinois Chicago suggests that sticking to an eight-hour eating window (like noon to 8 p.m.) could help adults with type one diabetes and obesity keep their blood sugar in check.
This is the first time researchers have tested time-restricted eating (TRE) for this group, comparing it to calorie-cutting and regular diets over six months.
Time-restricted eating lowered HbA1c 0.5% safely
People in the TRE group saw their HbA1c levels drop by an average of 0.5%, which is a solid improvement for blood sugar control, and better than just cutting calories.
The good news: there were no extra risks of low blood sugar or other serious complications.
Still, Professor Krista Varady says bigger studies are needed, and anyone with type one diabetes needs to talk with their endocrinologist or primary care doctor before trying a fasting schedule.
She also points out that syncing insulin doses with mealtimes is super important if you want to try this approach safely.