Effects of time-restricted eating on markers of glucose metabolism and regulation in individuals with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Pooled result · HbA1cResult — go to the resultWeighted mean difference −3.33 mmol/mol 95% CI −6.87 to 0.20Authors' conclusion
Moderate-certainty evidence indicates that TRE reduces fasting blood glucose but not HbA1c. The subgroup analyses revealed that TRE improved HbA1c and fasting glucose in individuals with prediabetes and improved fasting glucose in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with prediabetes (fasting blood glucose 5.6–6.9 mmol/l or HbA1c 39–47 mmol/mol [5.7–6.4%]) or T2D (fasting blood glucose ≥7 mmol/l or HbA1c ≥48 mmol/mol [6.5%]); RCTs lasting ≥2 weeks; mean study length 4 months
- Participants
- 599 adults10 RCTs
- Comparison
- Time-restricted eating vs non-time-restricted control diet
- Outcome
- HbA1c
Methodological detailsrandom-effects generic inverse variance models, GRADE certainty of evidence, RoB 2 risk of bias, Searches of MEDLINE, Embase and CENTRAL to 5 August 2025, plus forward and backward citation searches, Evidence limited by imprecision (wide CIs, possibly small sample sizes)
- Random-effects generic inverse variance models
- GRADE certainty of evidence
- RoB 2 risk of bias
- Searches of MEDLINE, Embase and CENTRAL to 5 August 2025, plus forward and backward citation searches
- Evidence limited by imprecision (wide CIs, possibly small sample sizes)
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Weighted mean difference
−3.33 mmol/mol
95% CI −6.87 to 0.20
P = 0.06
TREvs Control diet
weighted mean difference −3.33 mmol/mol (95% CI −6.87 to 0.20); P = 0.06
Further pooled results
| Outcome | Weighted mean difference (mmol/mol) (CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HbA1c, T2D subgroupTREvs Control diet−0.43% points (−0.92, 0.07) | −4.68 (−10.08 to 0.72) | P = 0.09 | |
| −15−10−505Difference, mmol/mol (linear scale) |
| Outcome | Weighted mean difference (mmol/l) (CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fasting blood glucose, pooledTREvs Control dietModerate certainty | −0.30 (−0.53 to −0.07) | P < 0.01 | |
| Fasting blood glucose, prediabetes subgroupTREvs Control diet | −0.14 (−0.27 to −0.01) | P = 0.03 | |
| Fasting blood glucose, T2D subgroupTREvs Control diet | −0.48 (−0.78 to −0.17) | P < 0.01 | |
| −1−0.500.5Difference, mmol/l (linear scale) |
| Outcome | Estimate | P value |
|---|---|---|
| HbA1c, prediabetes subgroupTRE vs Control diet · −0.09% points (−0.16, −0.02) | reduction 0.93 mmol/mol (CI −1.70 to −0.17) | P = 0.02 |
| Body weight, pooledTRE vs Control diet | reduction 1.6 kg (CI −2.2 to −1.0) | P < 0.001 |
Insulin sensitivity, beta cell function and CGM measurements
- Effects of time-restricted eating (TRE) were inconclusive
Original publication
Effects of time-restricted eating on markers of glucose metabolism and regulation in individuals with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Diabetologia. Published 27 July 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →