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Updated: Aug 25, 2025
Assessment of the Metabolic Effects of Isocaloric 2:1 Intermittent Fasting in Mice
Published on: November 27, 2019
Early time-restricted feeding improves high-density lipoprotein amount and function in nonhuman primates, without
Kylie Kavanagh1,2,3, Alexander C Bashore3, Matthew A Davis3
1Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Objective:
Time-restricted feeding (TRF), whereby caloric intake is limited to a <12-hour window, is a potential regimen to ameliorate metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk co-occurring with aging and with obesity. Early TRF (eTRF; early morning feeding followed by overnight fasting) times calorie consumption with hepatic circadian gene expression rhythms. Brief TRF trials demonstrate that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol increases similar to diet/exercise interventions, which may impart beneficial CVD effects. Using a nonhuman primate (NHP) model, the efficacy of eTRF to raise HDL and increase plasma cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) (primarily mediated by cholesterol efflux to HDL particles, a process that is inversely associated with CVD risk) was examined.
Methods:
Adult (8-16 years old, n = 25) and geriatric (≥17 years old) NHPs were randomized to ad libitum feeding or eTRF for 12 months, and relevant body composition, glycemic control, and plasma HDL cholesterol levels and CEC were measured.
Results:
Impaired CEC was found in geriatric NHPs. eTRF induced larger-sized HDL particles, increased HDL apolipoprotein A-1 content, lowered triglyceride concentrations, and increased plasma CEC (primarily to HDL particles) in both adult and geriatric NHPs without changes in glycemic control or body composition.
Conclusions:
A beneficial effect of eTRF on increasing HDL CEC in NHPs was demonstrated.
