Calorie Restriction and Time-Restricted Feeding: Effective Interventions in Overweight or Obese Patients Undergoing...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Nutrition Science
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Overweight and obese cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy often face challenges with weight management.
• Dietary interventions like calorie restriction (CR) and time-restricted feeding (TRF) may offer benefits but require feasibility assessment in this population.
• Limited physical activity in this patient group necessitates evaluating manageable dietary strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of implementing calorie restriction (CR) and time-restricted feeding (TRF) in overweight/obese cancer patients undergoing curative radiotherapy.
• To evaluate the impact of these dietary interventions on weight loss and anthropometric measurements.
• To compare adherence and effectiveness between CR and TRF groups.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, interventional, non-randomized open-label clinical trial involving 21 breast cancer patients.
• Two self-selected dietary groups: TRF (8-hour eating window, 16-hour fast, sugar/saturated fat-free) and CR (25% caloric reduction, specific macronutrient distribution, sugar/saturated fat-free).
• Feasibility, weight loss, waist circumference, and metabolic markers (lipids, glucose, insulin) were assessed.

Main Results:

• Both CR and TRF interventions were effective and statistically significant for weight loss and waist circumference reduction.
• Time-restricted feeding (TRF) showed a potentially stronger impact on weight loss and better patient adherence compared to CR.
• No statistically significant changes were observed in LDL, HDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, or insulin levels.

Conclusions:

• Calorie restriction (CR) and time-restricted feeding (TRF) are feasible dietary interventions for overweight and obese cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.
• TRF may be a more effective and better-adhered-to strategy for weight management in this patient population.
• Further research is warranted to explore the long-term metabolic effects of these diets in cancer patients.