Research finds time-restricted consuming might scale back diabetes-related hypertension

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A new study from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine suggests that time-limited eating may potentially help people with type 2 diabetes reduce nighttime hypertension, which is characterized by increased blood pressure at night.

The study, published in PNAS on June 22, found that time-limited eating, a routine that restricts eating to a specific window of time per day, helped prevent and improve diabetes-related nighttime hypertension in mice.

Study authors Ming Gong, Ph.D., MD, professor in the Department of Physiology, and Zhenheng Guo, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, hope their results mean that time-restricted eating may be possible similar benefits to people.

“We are excited about these results and the implications they could have in future clinical trials,” said Guo. “In addition to lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise, temporary diets could have a healthy impact on people with type 2 diabetes.”

Typically, blood pressure falls at night and when you wake up, it rises in line with the body’s circadian rhythm. In some hypertensive patients, the typical nocturnal decrease does not occur. This “non-dipping” blood pressure is widespread in patients with type 2 diabetes and has been associated with increased cardiovascular disease.

The study found that the introduction of time-limited feeding prevented diabetic mice from developing non-immersing blood pressure. The practice also effectively restored the disturbed circadian rhythm of blood pressure in mice that already had non-falling blood pressure.

The researchers limited the mice’s access to food to eight hours during their typical active awake times each day. When food availability was increased to 12 hours, the practice was still effective in preventing and treating non-falling blood pressure. Guo says this is evidence that the effects were caused by timing of feeding rather than calorie restriction.

In addition to the study’s importance for future human clinical research, Gong says it will help scientists understand the causes and mechanisms of non-immersing blood pressure in diabetes, which is not currently fully understood.

“There are already many studies showing the health benefits of limited-time eating, especially for metabolic problems,” said Gong. “This is the first basic science research focused on how it affects non-immersing blood pressure associated with diabetes, and it shows that the timing of food intake each day could play a critical role.”

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More information:
Tianfei Hou et al., Timed Feeding Protects the Circadian Rhythm of Blood Pressure in Diabetic Mice, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). DOI: 10.1073 / pnas.2015873118 Provided by the University of Kentucky

Quote: Study Shows Time Restricted Eating May Reduce Diabetes-Related Hypertension (2021, July 2), Retrieved July 3, 2021 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-07-time-restricted-diabetes-related- hypertension.html

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