ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Metabolism
This article is part of the Research TopicRethinking Nutrition Timing: Advances in Intermittent Fasting ResearchView all 3 articles
Effects of Time-Restricted Eating on Weight Loss, Sleep, and Quality of Life in Obstructive Sleep Apnea-hypopnea Syndrome (OSAHS) Patients with Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Provisionally accepted
- 1School of Nursing, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- 2Fudan University School of Social Development and Public Policy, Shanghai, China
- 3Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children, Chongqing, China
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Background: Weight loss is a key adjunctive therapy for obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) patients with obesity; however, its long-term success rate remains low. Time-restricted eating (TRE) is an emerging dietary strategy for weight-loss, but its application in obese OSAHS patients is still limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of TRE on weight loss, sleep, and quality of life (QoL) in obese OSAHS patients. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 68 obese adults with OSAHS were allocated (1:1) to an 8-hour TRE group (eating window: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) or a control group receiving standard care for 12 weeks. The primary outcomes were changes in body mass index (BMI) and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI). Secondary outcomes included changes in daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale, ESS), QoL (Calgary Sleep Apnea Quality of Life Index, SAQLI), and OSAHS risk (STOP-Bang questionnaire, SBQ). Results: Sixty participants completed the study. Compared to baseline, the TRE group achieved a significant 3.2% reduction in BMI (95% CI: 0.08, 1.90; p=0.033). However, the between-group difference in BMI change was not statistically significant (95% CI: -2.09, 0.53; p=0.236). At 12 weeks, significant intra-group improvements were observed in the TRE group for sleep efficiency and daytime dysfunction components of the PSQI (p < 0.05), but not in the global PSQI score compared to controls (p> 0.05). The TRE group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in daily functioning, social interactions, and overall SAQLI score compared to the control group (p < 0.05). This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article Conclusions: A 12-week 8-hour TRE intervention effectively induced weight loss and improved specific aspects of sleep and QoL in obese patients with OSAHS. TRE shows promise as a beneficial dietary intervention within the comprehensive management of OSAHS and obesity.
Keywords: Obesity, Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome, Quality of Life, randomized controlled trial, sleep quality, time-restricted eating
Received: 05 Nov 2025; Accepted: 04 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Wen, Yang, Chen, Xie, Zhou and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Shiqi Xie
Jianrong Zhou
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