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

ABSTRACT

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 (p = 0.02). 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 (respectively; p = 0.009, p = 0.01). 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.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04960969.

KEYWORDS:

• Impulsive behavior
• feeding behavior
• fasting
• diet
• ‌nutrition therapy
• ‌neurosciences
• ‌nutritional sciences
• feeding and eating disorders

Acknowledgments

Our thanks to neuroscientists Dr. Gökçer Eskikurt and Mevlüde Işık, who supported the design of the Go/NoGo task in this study.

Author Contributions

Elif Güner: Conceptualization, Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – Original Draft, Writing – Review & Editing. Şule Aktaç: Conceptualization, Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project Administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – Original Draft, Writing – Review & Editing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elif Güner

Elif Güner PhD, is an Assistant Professor in Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Istinye University, Türkiye.

Şule Aktaç

Şule Aktaç PhD, is an Associate Professor in Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Marmara University, Türkiye.