Trial results for a study investigating a time-restricted eating intervention for Obesity and Mild Cognitive Impairment were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-03-27. The study reported a mean change of 6.22 in Memory Composite Rank for the intervention group, with a corresponding Mean Difference (Net) of 6.22 (95% CI: 2.84 to 9.61) and a p-value of 0.001.
Background
Obesity and associated metabolic comorbidities are linked to a more than 4-fold increased risk of developing cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Dysfunctional metabolic flexibility is increasingly recognized as a critical mechanism connecting metabolic risk factors to cognitive decline. Despite this, few studies have explored portable behavioral strategies to enhance metabolic function among individuals at risk for ADRD. This study aimed to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a 12-week time-restricted feeding intervention in this population.
Trial design
This completed study, identified as Phase NA, enrolled 33 participants. The trial focused on individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Obesity. The intervention involved a 12-week time-restricted feeding regimen. The study aimed to assess the impact of this intervention on various metabolic and psychological optimization parameters.
Key results
The trial investigated changes in several composite ranks for participants undergoing a time-restricted eating intervention. Key measurements for the Time Restricted Eating group included:
- Change in Memory Composite Rank: mean of 6.22 rank.
- Change in Executive Function Composite Rank: mean of 5.97 rank (Standard Error: 1.42).
- Change in Metabolic Function Composite Rank: mean of 1.31 rank (Standard Error: 0.634).
- Change in Inflammatory Function Composite Rank: mean of 0.35 rank (Standard Error: 0.61).
Mixed Models Analysis provided the following Mean Difference (Net) values for these outcomes:
- For Memory Composite Rank, a Mean Difference (Net) of 6.22 (95% CI: 2.84 to 9.61) was observed, with a p-value of 0.001.
- For Executive Function Composite Rank, a Mean Difference (Net) of 2.97 (95% CI: 0.58 to 5.36) was observed, with a p-value of 0.017.
- For Metabolic Function Composite Rank, a Mean Difference (Net) of 1.31 (95% CI: 0.01 to 2.6) was observed, with a p-value of 0.048.
- For Inflammatory Function Composite Rank, a Mean Difference (Net) of 0.35 (95% CI: -0.89 to 1.59) was observed, with a p-value of 0.572.
What this means
The results suggest that a time-restricted eating intervention may lead to improvements in cognitive and metabolic functions in individuals with obesity and mild cognitive impairment. Significant positive changes were observed in Memory Composite Rank (p=0.001), Executive Function Composite Rank (p=0.017), and Metabolic Function Composite Rank (p=0.048). These findings indicate that behavioral strategies like time-restricted eating could be a viable approach to enhance metabolic function and potentially mitigate cognitive decline in at-risk populations. The change in Inflammatory Function Composite Rank was not statistically significant (p=0.572).
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT05997316, titled "Time Restricted Eating for Metabolic and Psychological Optimization", were posted on 2026-03-27 on clinicaltrials.gov.