Intermittent Fasting in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes

The majority of adults with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) have either overweight or obesity. As such, dietary management has been recommended as an adjunct to insulin treatment to improve glycemic control and facilitate weight loss in patients with T1DM. Daily calorie restriction (CR) is the main diet prescribed to patients with T1DM for weight loss. However, many patients find it difficult to adhere to CR because calorie intake must be vigilantly monitored every day. In light of these problems with CR, another approach that limits timing of food intake, instead of number of calories consumed, has been developed. This diet is called "time restricted eating" (TRE) and involves confining the period of food intake to 6-8 h per day. TRE allows individuals to self-select foods and eat ad libitum during a large part of the day, which greatly increases compliance to these protocols. The simplicity of TRE, its accommodation of dietary preferences, and associated weight loss may translate to improved glycemic measures in patients with T1DM. The present study will be the first randomized controlled trial to compare the effect of TRE versus CR for weight management and improved glycemic control in adults with obesity and T1DM.