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A SELF-SELECTED 16:8 TIME-RESTRICTED EATING INTERVENTION IMPROVES VARIOUS MARKERS OF CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH IN MIDDLE-AGE MALE CYCLISTS

Abstract

Craig Witt1, Eric O'Neal1, Matthew McAllister2, Hunter Waldman1. 1University of North Alabama, Florence, AL. 2Texas State University, San Marcos, TX.

Time-restricted eating (TRE) is one dietary intervention that may offer some protection against cardiovascular disease (CVD), while also preserving performance in athletes. To date however, research on TRE in an active population has solely been conducted in college-age cohorts and the effects of TRE in an older, trained population are less understood. Therefore, this study compared the effects of a 4-week, 16:8 TRE intervention on markers of CVD risk in middle-age, male cyclists. Participants (n=12; age,51.9±8.6 y; training duration/week, 375±140 min; VO2peak, 41.8±5.6 mL·kg-1·min-1) reported to the laboratory for 2 sessions (i.e., baseline and post-TRE) where blood was drawn from an antecubital vein after an 8-hour overnight fast. Dependent variables measured at baseline and post-TRE included insulin, cortisol, brain-derived neurotropic factor, free testosterone, thyroxine, triiodothyronine, c-reactive protein, advanced oxidative protein products, glutathione, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), glucose, and a full lipid profile. Compared with baseline, TRE significantly lowered TNF-α (12.3±3.4 vs. 9.2±2.4 pg·mL-1;p=0.02) and glucose concentrations (93.4±9.7 vs 87.5±7.9 mg·dL-1;p=0.01), as well as significantly elevated high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (45.7±13.7 vs. 49.2±12.3 mg·dL-1;p=0.04), respectively. No further statistical changes were observed between all remaining variables (all p>0.05). Overall, these data suggest that incorporating a 4-week TRE intervention with habitual endurance training can significantly improve some markers of CVD risk and may compliment the robust health benefits derived from a regular exercise regimen.

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