Effectiveness of Early Versus Late Time-Restricted Eating Combined with Physical Activity in Overweight or Obese Women.

AIMS: To evaluate the effectiveness of a dual approach involving time-restricted eating (TRE) at different times of the day combined with physical activity (PA) on functional capacity and metabolic health in overweight or obese women.

METHODS

Random allocation of sixty-one participants into four groups: early time-restricted eating plus physical activity (ETRE-PA, n = 15, 31.8 ± 10.76 years, 89.68 ± 13.40 kg, 33.5 ± 5.53 kg/m2), late time-restricted eating with physical activity (LTRE-PA, n = 15, 30.60 ± 7.94 years, 94.45 ± 15.36 kg, 34.37 ± 7.09 kg/m2), late time-restricted eating only (LTRE, n = 15, 27.93 ± 9.79 years, 88.32 ± 10.36 kg, 32.71 ± 5.15 kg/m2) and a control group (CG, n = 15, 36.25 ± 11.52 years, 89.01 ± 11.68 kg, 33.66 ± 6.18 kg/m2). The intervention lasted for 12 weeks in all groups. Both the ETRE-PA and LTRE-PA groups engaged in a rigorous combined aerobic and resistance-training program.

RESULTS

Significant reductions in body weight and body mass index were observed in the ETRE-PA and LTRE-PA groups compared to the CG and LTRE groups post-intervention (p < 0.0005). Only the ETRE-PA group exhibited a significant decrease in fat mass (p = 0.02), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.01), and aspartate aminotransferase (p = 0.002). Significant reductions in alanine aminotransferase levels were observed in the ETRE-PA (p = 0.004) and LTRE-PA (p = 0.02) groups. These two latter groups achieved higher performances in the 6-min walking test, bench press, 30-s squat, crunch test, vertical jump (p < 0.0005 for both), and leg extension (p < 0.02 for both) when compared to the LTRE and CG groups.

CONCLUSION

The integration of TRE with PA leads to greater improvements in body composition, lipid profile, and physical performance, with no significant differences between the ETRE-PA and LTRE-PA approaches. This combined strategy offers a promising solution for overweight and obese women.