Time-restricted feeding can increase food-related impulsivity: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES

Although an increasing number of studies show that time-restricted feeding may improve metabolic health, studies examining the behavioral effects of this eating pattern are limited. This study examined the effect of time-restricted feeding on impulsivity in adults.

METHODS

Thirty adults aged 25-41 years participated in this randomized controlled trial. The intervention group followed time-restricted feeding for 4 weeks and there was no energy restriction in the intervention group (n = 15) or control group (n = 15). Impulsivity was assessed before and after the intervention with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and the Go/NoGo task.

RESULTS

The compliance rate (the percentage of days when participants had a feeding time of ≤ 8 hours/day) of the intervention group to the time-restricted feeding pattern was 92.38 ± 4.24%. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 total score of the intervention group increased from 55.53 ± 6.37 to 59.47 ± 7.67 During the Go/NoGo task, an indicator of inhibitory control, the reaction time to food and non-food stimuli was significantly shortened in the intervention group In the control group, no significant change was detected in impulsivity determined by the BIS-11 or Go/NoGo task.

DISCUSSION

This study showed that although time-restricted feeding may reduce body weight, it can lead to increased impulsivity and impaired inhibitory control. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04960969.