Time Restricted Eating clinical trials at UCSD

In this randomized controlled trial, the investigators will assess the health impacts of optimizing the timing of dietary consumption in nurses and nursing assistants who work night shifts, have a habitual eating window of 14 hours or more, and elevated weight. Participants will be randomized to one of three groups: (1) dietary monitoring, (2) dietary monitoring plus 10-hour daytime time-restricted eating (TRE), or (3) TRE with a low-glycemic snack during night shifts. The study includes a 2-week screening/baseline health assessment, with follow-up health assessments at 3-, 6- (primary outcome), and 12 months.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent disorder that is associated with both cardiovascular and metabolic dysfunction, such as hypertension, increased blood glucose levels and diabetes, obesity, and nonalcoholic fatty liver. While continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the best available OSA treatment, has been shown to improve blood pressure in OSA, it does not appear to improve metabolic consequences of OSA, and other therapies for OSA-induced dysmetabolism are needed. Animal models of time restricted eating (TRE) demonstrate an improvement in glucose and lipid metabolism, even in the absence of a reduction of caloric intake. Some human studies have shown an improvement in metabolic dysfunction with TRE, though further well-designed studies are needed. The effects of TRE on metabolic dysfunction in patients with OSA, a population with a high predisposition to metabolic disorder, has never been examined. In this study, we will conduct a randomized clinical trial to assess the feasibility and efficacy of 12 weeks of TRE, versus standard eating (SE), to improve glucose regulation and cardiovascular health of participants with OSA.