Peer-reviewed article
Effects of time-restricted eating on blood pressure in children: A cluster randomized controlled trial.
Xiaofei Wu, Jingkun Miao, Zhilian Peng, Xizhou An, Qin Liu et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study tested whether time-restricted eating (eating within a 12-hour window) could lower blood pressure in children and adolescents with elevated BP. Over 12 months, 192 children were randomly assigned to two time-restricted eating groups or a control group with no eating restrictions. Both time-restricted eating groups showed significant reductions in blood pressure, with the group that finished eating by 8 PM showing the greatest improvement.
Key points
- Systolic blood pressure decreased by 7.03 mmHg in the early time-restricted group (eating window ending at 8 PM) and 5.29 mmHg in the standard time-restricted group
- Diastolic blood pressure decreased by 4.09 mmHg in the early time-restricted group
- Both time-restricted eating interventions showed significantly different results compared to the control group
- High attrition rates: 34.9% loss-to-follow-up at 6 months and 40.6% at 12 months
- Study was conducted in a school-based cluster randomized design across two schools
Limitations
The study had substantial loss-to-follow-up (40.6% by 12 months), which limits confidence in the findings. The report does not specify the countries where the trial was conducted, though the trial registration suggests China, and provides limited detail on participant demographics, adherence rates, or mechanisms of BP reduction.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a time-restricted eating (TRE) intervention to reduce blood pressure (BP) in children and adolescents. METHODS: We conducted a 12-month, three-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial in two schools, with classes as the unit of randomization (91 classes). Children and adolescents with elevated BP were allocated to TREa (12-hour eating window with the last meal before 8:00 PM), TREb (12-hour eating window without a fixed last mealtime), or control (no time restriction). A total of 192 participants were enrolled and analyzed under an intention-to-treat framework (64 per group). Follow-up completion (retention) rates were 65.1% (125/192) at 6 months and 59.4% (114/192) at 12 months, corresponding to loss-to-follow-up rates of 34.9% (67/192) and 40.6% (78/192), respectively. Analyses used mixed-effects models accounting for clustering, with multiple imputations as a sensitivity analysis for missing data. RESULTS: After 12 months of intervention, both the TREa and TREb groups showed significant reductions in BP, with TREa demonstrating the most significant changes. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased significantly in the TREa (-7.03 mmHg, 95%CI, -10.77 to -3.29 mmHg; P < 0.001) and TREb groups (-5.29 mmHg, 95%CI, -9.44 to -1.14 mmHg; P = 0.013). Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) changes in the TREa group were -4.09 mmHg (-6.80 to -1.38 mmHg; P < 0.001), with significantly different compared to the control group (P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: A 12-hour eating window, particularly with the last meal completed before 8 PM, may be associated with lower BP over 12 months in children and adolescents with elevated BP; interpretation should consider the cluster design and attrition. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2400090073 (retrospectively registered on 23 September 2024).
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Time-restricted eating with a 12-hour eating window, with or without a fixed last meal time of 8 PM
- Population
- 192 children and adolescents with elevated blood pressure, aged range not specified, enrolled from two schools
Key finding
TREa (12-hour window ending by 8 PM) reduced systolic BP by 7.03 mmHg (95% CI: -10.77 to -3.29, P<0.001)