Overweight and obese individuals with pre-diabetes or with a family history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease (CVD) are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and CVD. Current prevention and treatment of obesity and T2D include energy restricted diets and increased levels of physical activity; however, adequate adherence to such strategies is difficult, and maintenance is challenging for most individuals, which stresses the need for feasible and sustainable interventions.~Circadian rhythms of behaviour and metabolism are closely related to the daily light/dark cycle and sleep-wake patterns and timing of food intake and fasting periods may affect the circadian rhythms of metabolic organs. In an evolutionary perspective, the pattern of food consumption has been characterised by periods of caloric intake when food was available and subsequent periods of fasting 9. This cyclic pattern leads to cycles of absorption and storage of energy and utilisation of the energy for e.g. tissue repair, stress resistance and vitality where expression of metabolic regulators coordinates with cellular processes, leading to efficient metabolism 10. Factors including the 24-hour availability of energy-dense foods, busy time schedules, different eating and sleep patterns during weekdays and weekends (i.e. 'social jetlag') challenge the feeding-fasting paradigm. Recent data suggest that an erratic diurnal eating pattern characterised by food intake largely spread throughout hours awake (≥15 h) and a concomitant short fasting period is highly prevalent in humans and animal suggest that circadian misalignment of food intake is associated with adverse metabolic effects. A number of animal studies and a few small studies in humans have reported promising effects of time-restricted eating (TRE), without concomitant dietary restrictions, on body weight and other cardiometabolic risk factors. There is a lack of randomized controlled trials investigating effect of TRE in individuals at high risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.~The aim of the present study is to investigate effects of 12 weeks TRE on behaviour and metabolism in individuals with overweight or obesity at high risk of type 2 diabetes. Maintenance will be assessed at a follow-up visit 13 weeks after completion of the trial (26 weeks). Testing will be conducted at baseline and after 6, 12, and 26 weeks. Participants are instructed to follow randomization during one week assessment periods after testing at 6 and 12 weeks. Therefore, the total duration of the intervention is 13 weeks.
The aim of the present study is to investigate effects of 12 weeks time-restricted eating on behaviour and metabolism in individuals with overweight or obesity at high risk of type 2 diabetes.