ABSTRACT
CONTEXT: Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a novel dietary intervention shown to facilitate weight loss and improve metabolic health. However, like any dietary intervention, long-term success largely depends on individual adherence, which can be influenced by whether the intervention impacts the individual's health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). Despite the growing body of research investigating TRE as a dietary approach and its potential impact on HR-QoL in adults, to date there has been no systematic review to summarize these findings. OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of TRE on HR-QoL in adults. DATA SOURCES: All randomized controlled trials, pre-post and pilot/feasibility studies were searched in PubMed, EMBASE via Ovid, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO via Ovid until March 20, 2023. DATA EXTRACTION: Two researchers were involved in the screening and paper selection process. A single researcher extracted all relevant data from eligible studies. CONCLUSION: Overall, 10 studies were eligible for inclusion in this systematic review. Four studies reported improvements in overall HR-QoL scores among participants with type 2 diabetes, middle-aged women with obesity, generally healthy adults, and generally healthy adult employees. Three studies reported significant and nonsignificant improvements in some domains of HR-QoL assessment tools among overweight, sedentary older adults, overweight or obese adults, and 24-hour shift workers. No studies reported that TRE adversely affected HR-QoL. Improvements in HR-QoL appeared to occur primarily at 12 weeks/3 months. There was no clear relationship between HR-QoL scores and TRE protocol, additional study outcomes, participant health status, age, or adherence. Although further research is required to elucidate the impact of TRE on HR-QoL, the findings reveal that no studies show that TRE adversely affects HR-QoL. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework (OSF) (The Impact of Time-Restricted Eating on Health-Related Quality of Life: A Systematic Review; https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/9NK45).
