Longevity & AgingTime-Restricted Eating Cuts Liver Fat as Effectively as Calorie Restriction
A randomized controlled trial of 333 adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) compared time-restricted eating (TRE), calorie restriction (CR), and standard of care over 16 weeks. TRE reduced liver fat by 25.8% versus a 0.7% change with standard care. Crucially, TRE performed on par with calorie restriction across all major outcomes — liver fat, body weight, waist circumference, body fat mass, and metabolic markers. Sleep quality and liver stiffness were also similar between TRE and CR. No serious adverse events occurred. These findings position TRE as a practical, flexible dietary strategy for managing MASLD, especially for patients who find traditional calorie counting difficult to sustain.
