Beneficial effects of time-restricted eating on some cardiometabolic factors and anthropometric measures in adults with type 2 diabetes: an umbrella meta-analysis of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing around the world. We hypothesized that time-restricted eating (TRE) could impact cardiometabolic factors and anthropometric indices in adults with T2DM. This umbrella review aimed to provide an accurate estimate of the overall effects of TRE on these individuals. A comprehensive search was conducted across Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar through March 2025. The AMSTAR2 scale and GRADE tool were used to evaluate the methodological quality and certainty of the evidence. Stata 17 software was used for data analysis. Nine meta-analyses comprising 15 randomized controlled trials of 6386 participants with T2DM were included in this review. Meta-analyses findings revealed that TRE significantly reduced the concentration of fasting blood sugar (WMD = -7.514 mg/dL, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-10.959, -4.068]), glycated hemoglobin (WMD = -0.428, 95% CI [-0.682, -0.173]), postprandial plasma glucose (WMD = -1.235 mg/dL, 95% CI [-1.534, -0.937]), and systolic blood pressure (WMD = -3.960 mmHg, 95% CI [-5.495, -2.425]), weight (WMD = -1.200 kg, 95% CI [-2.096, -0.304]), body mass index (WMD = -0.979 kg/m2, 95% CI [-1.462, -0.495]), and waist circumference (WMD = -1.007 cm, 95% CI [-1.895, -0.120]) in comparison with the control group. However, the effects of TRE on lipid profiles, diastolic blood pressure, and body fat percentage of participants were not significant. The findings suggested that adherence to TRE could modulate glycemic indices, systolic blood pressure, and anthropometric indices without improvement in lipid profiles and diastolic blood pressure in adults with T2DM.