Time-restricted eating improves cognition in older women

A small clinical trial suggests that restricting daily food intake to a narrow window of time may provide cognitive benefits for older women beyond the effects of weight loss alone. The preliminary findings, presented at the NUTRITION 2026 conference in National Harbor, Maryland, indicate that time-restricted eating could help slow cognitive decline in a population at elevated risk for dementia.

The six-month pilot study, led by Professor Sue Shapses of Rutgers University, involved 47 women aged 50 to 79 who were classified as overweight or obese. All participants were counseled to reduce their daily calorie intake by 500 calories. Within that framework, 26 women were instructed to confine their eating to a window of less than nine hours per day, typically between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., and to stop consuming food at least four hours before bedtime. The remaining participants maintained a standard eating window of about 12 hours per day.

After six months, both groups achieved similar weight loss, averaging approximately 15 pounds. Cognitive testing, however, revealed differences. Participants who followed the time-restricted eating pattern showed significant improvements in spatial...