Time-Restricted Feeding during Puberty Ameliorates Adiposity and Prevents Hepatic Steatosis in a Mouse Model of Childhood Obesity

BACKGROUND

Time restricted feeding (TRF) refers to dietary interventions in which food access is limited during a specific timeframe of the day. TRFs have proven useful in improving metabolic health in adult subjects with obesity. Their beneficial effects are mediated, in part, through modulating the circadian rhythm. Nevertheless, the translation of these dietary interventions onto obese/overweight children and adolescents remains uncharacterized. The objective of this study is to explore the feasibility of temporal dietary interventions for improving metabolic health in the context of childhood obesity.

METHODS

We have previously developed a mouse model of early adiposity (i.e., childhood obesity) through litter size reduction. Mice raised in small litters (SL) became obese as early as by two weeks of age, and as adults, they developed several obesity-related co-morbidities, including insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and hepatic steatosis. Here, we explored whether two independent short-term chrono-nutritional interventions might improve metabolic health in 1-month-old pre-pubertal SL mice. Both TRFs comprised 8 h feeding/14 h fasting. In the first one (TRF1) Control and SL mice had access to the diet for 8 h during the dark phase. In the second intervention (TRF2) food was available during the light:dark transitions.

RESULTS

TRF1 did not alter food intake nor ameliorate adiposity in SL-TRF1. In contrast, SL-TRF2 mice showed unintentional reduction of caloric intake, which was accompanied by reduced total body weight and adiposity. Strikingly, hepatic triglyceride content was completely normalized in SL-TRF1 and SL-TRF2 mice, when compared to the ad lib-fed SL mice. These effects were partially mediated by (i) clock-dependent signals, which might modulate the expression of Pparg or Cpt1a, and (ii) clock-independent signals, such as fasting itself, which could influence Fasn expression.

CONCLUSIONS

Time-restricted feeding is an effective and feasible nutritional intervention to improve metabolic health, namely hepatic steatosis, in a model of childhood obesity. These data open new avenues for future safe and efficient chrono-nutritional interventions aimed to improve metabolic health in children with overweight/obesity.