Overview
- The University of Calgary–led randomized study assigned 20 of 35 adults with Crohn’s to an eight-hour daily eating window for 12 weeks versus usual eating.
- Participants practicing time-restricted eating saw about a 40% drop in disease activity and a 50% reduction in abdominal discomfort compared with controls.
- The intervention group lost roughly 5.5 pounds as controls gained about 3.7, showed decreases in leptin and PAI-1, and in a subset reduced visceral fat.
- Investigators reported similar calorie intake and diet quality across groups, pointing to meal timing as a likely driver of the benefits.
- The trial, published in Gastroenterology and funded by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and the Imagine Network, also found greater gut microbial diversity, while experts urged larger, longer trials and physician guidance, particularly for underweight patients.