Using Early Time Restricted Feeding and Timed Light Therapy to Improve Glycemic Control in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Time Restricted Feeding; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Light; Therapy, Complications
• Interventions: Behavioral: No change in meal timing; Behavioral: Early Time-Restricted Feeding; Behavioral: No change in light exposure; Behavioral: Timed Light Therapy

• Registration Number: NCT04155619
• Lead Sponsor: University of Alabama at Birmingham

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to test whether eating earlier in the day and/or timed light therapy can improve blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. This study will also test whether these treatments improve other aspects of health, including the circadian (biological) clock, sleep, weight, body composition, cardiovascular health, quality of life, and mood.

Detailed Description

The circadian system is strongly linked to type 2 diabetes. Adults with type 2 diabetes have circadian rhythms that are both weakened and mistimed. Weak rhythms may be due to insufficient bright light exposure during the daytime, irregular meal timing, or grazing on food throughout the day. Mistiming may be due to ill-timed food intake or light exposure-such as eating later in the day or light exposure at night-which causes central and peripheral circadian clocks within the body to become out of sync (circadian misalignment). This circadian misalignment impairs glucose metabolism: data now show that eating late in the day and light exposure at night rapidly elevate glucose (blood sugar) and insulin levels in humans within days. Conversely, well-timed food intake and light exposure appear to improve glycemic (blood sugar) control, circadian rhythms, and several other aspects of health.

This study will test the health effects of eating early in the daytime (early time-restricted feeding; early TRF) and timed light therapy in adults with type 2 diabetes. The study will test the following aims:

1. Determine whether early TRF and/or timed light therapy improve glycemic control

2. (a) Determine how early TRF and/or timed light therapy affect the central and peripheral circadian clocks and (b) determine which patients benefit the most from circadian-based therapies

3. Determine whether early TRF and/or timed light therapy improve sleep, body weight, body composition, cardiovascular risk factors, quality of life, and psychological health.

Approximately 344 veterans and civilians aged 30-80 with insulin-independent type 2 diabetes will be randomized to the following 2 x 2 study design:

1. No change in eating or light exposure habits

2. Early TRF

3. Timed light therapy

4. Early TRF and timed light therapy

Participants will be asked to follow their assigned treatment for 16 weeks and then be followed up for an additional eight months (1 year in total). Baseline and post-intervention testing will be conducted during a 38-hour inpatient (hospital) stay. Testing will involve three 3-hour meal tolerance tests to determine insulin sensitivity and secretion; 24-hour measurement of glucose, insulin, and C-peptide levels; 24-hour measurement of cortisol and melatonin to measure the phase and amplitude of the central clock; and a constant glucose infusion to determine the phase and amplitude of the effective glycemic ("peripheral") circadian clock. Sleep, weight loss, body composition, and cardiovascular risk factors will also be measured, and questionnaires and an interview will be administered to determine improvements in quality of life and psychological health.

Note: Pre-registered primary and secondary outcomes are listed below. Pre-registered tertiary outcomes appear in the study protocol, which will be uploaded to this website.

Basic Information
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Recruitment & Eligibility
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Study & Design
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Trial Locations

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2019-11-05
• Study First Submitted QC: 2019-11-05
• Study First Posted: 2019-11-07
• Study Start: 2021-04-26
• Status Verified: 2025-01
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-01-05
• Last Update Posted: 2025-01-07
• Primary Completion: 2025-08
• Study Completion: 2025-08

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 344

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged 30-80 years old
• Have type 2 diabetes
• HbA1c between 5.7 - 12.0%
• On a stable dose of metformin, DPP-IV inhibitors, SGLT2 inhibitors, sulfonylureas, and/or GLP-1 receptor agonists for at least 6 weeks, or taking no diabetes medications
• Wake up at a regular time between 5-9 am

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Exclusion Criteria

• On insulin or diabetes medication other than metformin, DPP-IV inhibitors, SGLT2 inhibitors, sulfonylureas, and/or GLP-1 receptor agonists
• Have type 1 diabetes or was diagnosed with diabetes before age 18
• Moderate or severe retinopathy or other medical condition that may affect the ability to safely receive bright light therapy
• A history of severe hypoglycemia
• Change in the dosage of a chronic medication within the past month (need to wait at least 1 month prior to baseline visit)
• Have a clinically significant laboratory abnormality (e.g., abnormal hemoglobin levels)
• Severe gastrointestinal disease, major gastrointestinal surgery, or active gallstone disease
• Cardiovascular, renal, cardiac, liver, lung, adrenal, or nervous system disease that is unstable or may compromise study validity
• Evidence of cancer (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) within the last 5 years
• Pregnant or breastfeeding
• Current diagnosis of a major psychiatric condition that would impair study participation
• Diagnosed sleep disorder or circadian disorder that is not stabilized (sleep apnea is allowed). Those with narcolepsy will not be included.
• Major changes in health or medical history in the last 3 months that could affect data validity per judgement of the study physician
• Spend an average of more than 1.5 hours/day outdoors
• Perform overnight shift work more than 1 day/week on average
• Regularly eat within a less than a 10-hour period daily
• Regularly finish eating dinner before 6:30 pm
• Lost or gained more than 8 lbs within the last 2 months and weight needs to be stable for a minimum of 4 weeks before baseline testing
• Traveled more than two times zones away in the two months prior to enrolling in the trial or will travel more than two time zones away during the 16-week study

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Timed Light Therapy	No change in meal timing	-
Early Time-Restricted Feeding and Timed Light Therapy	Early Time-Restricted Feeding	-
Early Time-Restricted Feeding	No change in light exposure	-
Timed Light Therapy	Timed Light Therapy	-
No change in eating or light exposure habits	No change in meal timing	-
No change in eating or light exposure habits	No change in light exposure	-
Early Time-Restricted Feeding	Early Time-Restricted Feeding	-
Early Time-Restricted Feeding and Timed Light Therapy	Timed Light Therapy	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Insulin secretion	16 weeks	Insulin secretion (mU) across three identical meal tolerance tests, as measured by the Oral Minimal Model. The individual, mean, and excursion values, and time of the peak value will also be calculated.
24-hour glucose levels	16 weeks	Time-weighted mean, fasting, peak, standard deviation, and excursion (maximum - minimum) values (mg/dl)
24-hour insulin levels	16 weeks	Time-weighted mean, fasting, peak, standard deviation, and excursion values (mU/l)
Hemoglobin A1C	16 weeks
24-hour C-peptide levels	16 weeks	Time-weighted mean, fasting, peak, standard deviation, and excursion values (pmol/l). This is also a proxy for total 24-hour insulin secretion.
Insulin sensitivity	16 weeks	Insulin sensitivity (dl/kg/min/μU/ml) during three identical meal tolerance tests, as measured by the Oral Minimal Model. The individual, mean, and excursion values, and time of the peak value will also be calculated.
Beta-cell responsivity index (a measure of beta-cell function)	16 weeks	Beta-cell responsivity during three identical meal tolerance tests, as measured by the Oral Minimal Model. The individual, mean, and excursion values, and time of the peak value will also be calculated.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Cortisol Amplitude	16 weeks	Amplitude (μg/dl)
Glycemic ("Peripheral") Rhythm Amplitude	16 weeks	Amplitude or diurnal variation in glucose levels (mg/dl) during a constant glucose infusion procedure
Melatonin Amplitude	16 weeks	Peak value (pg/mL)
Melatonin Phase	16 weeks	Clock time of dim light melatonin onset (DLMO)
Glycemic ("Peripheral") Rhythm Phase	16 weeks	Time of day that glucose levels experience a nadir during a constant glucose infusion procedure
Cortisol Phase	16 weeks	Clock time of cortisol phase

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center; 🇺🇸 Birmingham, Alabama, United States