Time-restricted eating is a form of daily fasting wherein the time of the day during which a person eats is limited or compressed. Findings from a recent study suggest that time-restricted eating aligns eating and fasting cycles to the body’s innate 24-hour circadian system, altering the body’s production of proteins and reducing the risk of developing chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and cognitive decline.

Circadian rhythms are the body’s 24-hour cycles of biological, hormonal, and behavioral patterns. They modulate a wide array of physiological processes, including the body’s production of hormones that regulate sleep, hunger, metabolism, and others, ultimately influencing body weight, performance, and susceptibility to disease. The timing of food intake strongly influences circadian rhythms.

The authors of the study conducted a proteomic signature study – a type of analysis that identifies and quantifies the proteins present in a cell, tissue, or organism. The study involved 14 healthy adult men and women (average age, 32 years) who fasted for 14 or more hours every day from dawn to dusk for a month. The participants provided blood samples at three time points in the study: before and after the 30-day fasting period and one week after the fasting period had ended.

The proteomic analysis revealed that the 30-day daytime fast influenced the production of proteins that protect against chronic conditions such as cancer, metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and Alzheimer’s disease, among others. These findings suggest that intermittent fasting might be beneficial in preventing or reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases.

• Link to full study.

• Read more about time-restricted eating in our overview article.