THURSDAY, April 2, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Time-restricted eating (TRE) induces greater weight loss than a no-intervention control among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to a study published online March 27 in Nature Medicine.
Sarah Corapi, R.D.N., from the University of Illinois Chicago, and colleagues examined the efficacy of TRE for weight management in PCOS compared to standard care (daily calorie restriction [CR]) and a no-intervention control. A total of 76 participants were randomly assigned to six months of a six-hour TRE regimen (all meals consumed between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., without calorie tracking), a CR plan (25 percent daily energy restriction), or a control group with no dietary changes.
The researchers found that body weight decreased significantly in the TRE and CR groups relative to controls by month 6 (–4.32 and –4.66 percent, respectively), with no significant difference between the TRE and the CR groups (0.34 percent). There were no reports of serious adverse events. Decreases were also reported in the free androgen index (−2.68 [95 percent confidence interval (CI), −4.75 to −0.61] and −1.22 (95 percent CI, −2.82 to 0.39]) and total testosterone concentrations (−16.39 ng/dL−1 [95 percent CI, −29.48 to −3.30] and −12.88 ng/dL−1 [95 percent CI, −22.62 to −3.14]) in the TRE and CR groups, respectively, relative to controls.
"There's a particular sentiment that intermittent fasting is really bad for women," coauthor Krista A. Varady, also from the University of Illinois Chicago, said in a statement. "This study and several other studies published by our lab and others show that intermittent fasting can actually improve female hormone levels, particularly in women with PCOS."