Impact of Chronotype-Based Time-Restricted Eating on Visceral Fat and Metabolic Health in Physically Inactive Adults With Central Obesity

Time-restricted eating (TRE) has gained attention as a promising dietary strategy for enhancing body composition and metabolic health. This innovative eating pattern involves confining daily food intake to a specific window, typically spanning 6-10 hours. Given the lack of consensus on the optimal TRE strategy, this research explores whether tailoring eating windows to individual chronotypes enhances TRE outcomes. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effects of chronotype-matched versus chronotype-unmatched TRE protocols, compared to a control group, over a 12-week period on visceral fat mass and other metabolic health outcomes in physically inactive adults with central obesity. Additionally, the study seeks to determine whether chronotype-matched TRE offers greater benefits in terms of visceral fat reduction and metabolic improvements compared to chronotype-unmatched TRE. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, and after the 12-week intervention.

NCT Number	NCT07062315
Lead Sponsor	Chinese University of Hong Kong
Conditions	Central Obesity, Time Restricted Eating
Enrollment	90 participants
Start Date	2025-07-31
Primary Completion	2026-10 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-12 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-03-18