Abstract: Objective To investigate the effects of early time-restricted feeding (eTRF) on metabolic status and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in the patients with metabolic syndrome. Methods Using a randomized block grouping method, 60 patients with metabolic syndrome who were admitted to the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from 2022 to 2023 were randomly divided into the control group (30 cases) and the intervention group (30 cases).The control group did not limit their eating time and calorie intake, while the intervention group received an eTRF diet. The body indexes, blood lipids, blood glucose, and SASP levels were compared between the groups before and after 6 weeks of intervention. Results Two patients dropped out of the study during the 6-week intervention period.According to the age, each group was further divided into non-elderly subgroup (aged<60 years old) and elderly subgroup (aged≥60 years old). There were 15 cases in each subgroup of the control group, and 14 cases in each subgroup of the eTRF group.Compared to those before intervention, there were no statistically significant differences in the levels of body mass, body mass index,waist circumference, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and fasting blood glucose among the four subgroups after 6 weeks of intervention (P>0.05). However, the magnitudes of change (differences) between the subgroups for these indicators showed statistically differences, except for waist circumference, triglyceride and HDL-C. The levels of interleukin(IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α and interferon(IFN)-γ in the two subgroups of the eTRF group were significantly reduced after 6 weeks of intervention (P<0.05), while those indicators did not changed significantly in the two subgroups of the control group after 6 weeks of intervention (P>0.05). Conclusions eTRF model can reduce the levels of SASP in the patients with metabolic syndrome.

Key words: early time-restricted feeding, metabolic syndrome, senescence-associated secretory phenotype