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Review
. 2025 Jul 29;26(15):7310.
doi: 10.3390/ijms26157310.

Time-Restricted Eating Improves Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Taegwang Nam  1 , Hyeongbin Oh  1 , Anna Kim  2 , Yongtaek Oh  1
Affiliations
Review

Time-Restricted Eating Improves Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Taegwang Nam et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Time-restricted eating (TRE), a dietary strategy that aligns food intake with circadian rhythms, has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological approach for improving glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effects of TRE on glycemic outcomes by analyzing eight randomized controlled trials involving 312 participants with type 2 diabetes or impaired fasting glucose. Meta-analyses of six eligible studies demonstrated that TRE significantly reduced fasting glucose (mean difference [MD]: -0.74 mmol/L; 95% CI: -1.13 to -0.36) and glycated hemoglobin (ΔHbA1c) (MD: -0.11%; 95% CI: -0.15 to -0.07) and increased time in range (TIR) for blood glucose (MD: +10.51%; 95% CI: 6.81 to 14.21). Improvements in fasting glucose and HbA1c were modest but consistent, while the increase in TIR showed no between-study heterogeneity, suggesting a robust and reproducible benefit of TRE on glycemic stability. These findings support the clinical feasibility and effectiveness of TRE as a dietary intervention in diabetes management. However, further high-quality trials with standardized protocols and longer follow-up are needed to confirm long-term efficacy and inform guidelines.

Keywords: HbA1c; diabetes mellitus; fasting glucose; glycemic control; meta-analysis; time in range; time-restricted eating.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the RCT selection process. RCTs: randomized controlled trials.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk of bias [16,19,20,21,22,23,24,25].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Meta-analysis of the effect of time-restricted eating (TRE) versus control on fasting glucose [19,21,22].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Meta-analysis of the effect of time-restricted eating (TRE) versus control on ΔHbA1c [22,23,24,25].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Meta-analysis of the effect of time-restricted eating (TRE) versus control on time in normoglycemic range [24,25].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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